Ballad
by skinnedkneedmisfit
Summary: All Namine wanted was a cover band for her wedding. All Roxas wanted was to make his fiancee happy. All Axel wanted was to be heard.
1. Breakthru

Hey guys! So… some of you might remember this story from _years_ ago, and some of you might not. It's the same story I posted a long time ago, just a few edits that hopefully catch some of the spelling gaffs and continuity hiccups. One of the downsides of deleting my story was I forgot the chapter titles, so there won't be any. I apologize…

**xxxxx**

**Ballad**  
><strong>Chapter One<br>"Breakthru"  
><strong>

**xxxxx**

Roxas came from a long line of quick thinkers and fast doers. His father, Cloud, was married to his wife Aerith when he was eighteen. They got married when they were still in high school. His older brother, Sora, was conceived over the honeymoon. In fact, it was odd that Cloud and Aerith waited two years before deciding to have another child, which was where Roxas came from. He was born on November fourteenth. Exactly nine months after Valentines Day. Roxas didn't like to ponder about it too much.

Stated earlier, Roxas had a brother, Sora. Exactly two years, two months, and two hours older than himself. Roxas was bad at math, so once again, for entirely different reasons, he chose not to think about it too much. Sora had married a girl he had met in college, a delightful redhead named Kairi, after only knowing her four months. Cloud said that four was two times two, and Two was their lucky number, which was why he and Aerith didn't have any more children after Roxas, but the youngest child simply assumed that his mother was tired with two children and not even reaching the legal drinking age.

Roxas and Sora looked alike. Spitting images of each other, save that Sora had his mother's cocoa brown hair and Roxas was gifted with his father's legendary golden locks. Sora and Roxas thought a lot alike. Their favorite movie was _The Graduate_, their favorite food was sandwiches, and they both refused to eat at McDonalds, but thought Burger King was just fine. They shared every toy and video game given to them as children. They pooled allowances together to buy a television for their room, which they shared. The only downfall of Sora finding Kairi was that she could not be shared.

How lucky, some would say, that she had a younger sister. And what a small world after all, some would sing, that she happened to be at the same high school as Roxas. Her name was Namine Gibson, and she still held on to her childhood dream that she was going to be an artist. That was one of multiple explanations to why Roxas loved her.

It was one of several reasons why he was marrying her.

Of course, they were young. Their best friends believed that it was only a matter of time. Acquaintances thought it was too soon. Of course, since Kairi's parents were crazy for Sora, and felt the same about Roxas, then merging the two families together completely seemed like a no-brainer.

The friends that believed in Roxas and Namine's relationship were the three core friends that Roxas had kept since pre-kindergarten. Hayner Marshall, the boy Roxas had dumped sand down his shorts when they were four. Olette Diaz, the girl who colored a pink bunny on Roxas' new white sneakers in the first grade. Lastly, Pence Bogart, the boy who Roxas spent most of this time with in his eighth grade required fitness class.

They were engaged on May twenty-first, right after Namine's last final exam in her sophomore year of college. Roxas surprised her with a night on the town, an expensive dinner, and dessert. A strawberry parfait with a carat on top. Two weeks later they had the date chosen, December nineteenth, because Namine always wanted a winter wedding and none of their friends would still be in classes. The colors would be silver and blue, to match Namine's dress and eyes. The food would be classic beef lasagna or Cornish game hen, and a rigatoni salad for the vegetarians. The church would be Second Presbyterian. Roxas would wear a black bow tie, the groomsmen would wear pastel blue. The bridesmaids would don lovely taffeta periwinkle gowns. Their reception would be held at a ranch owned by Namine's uncle. The plates and glass would be a candlewick pattern. The first song they danced to would be…

"_Breakthru_ by Queen."

Roxas, with a teacup from their local coffee house placed to his lips, glanced over to Namine who was viciously scribbling notes into a soft pink binder she carried with her everywhere. The blonde man placed his cup down on the platter and looked at the words she was writing.

"You want Queen to be the song we dance to first?" he asked for clarification. Namine stopped writing, if only for a second, but didn't look back up at Roxas. Her pen switched hands, and she continued to write with her left hand while digging through her purse for the caterer's business card with her right. It was part of an exercise for her art classes, becoming ambidextrous.

After finding the card she used her free hand to pull long blonde hair out of her eyes. "Yeah, it was the first song that came on the stereo in your car on our first date." Staring pointedly at the wall of the coffee house while his fiancée continued to write furiously, Roxas thanked quietly that she didn't tack on a _Remember?_ at the end of that statement because, honestly, he didn't. He picked his tea up again and downed the rest of it in one gulp.

He stood to grab his coat. It was October and the first chill was starting to form in their small town. Namine looked up at him questioningly. "Hayner's, remember?" Namine looked miffed. Of course, _Hayner_. The boy who wears his heart on his sleeve. He was stealing Roxas away so they could bond over the older student's failed attempt at a relationship that had lasted only three weeks.

She reached into her purse again and pulled out another business card, handing it to Roxas. It was black and shiny, and with white bold print across the top read, **"13 HEARTS: Clubs, Parties, Weddings, Funerals."** Roxas was assuming the last one was a joke. "What's this?"

"13 Hearts is a classic rock cover band," Namine explained. She was making eye contact with Roxas, which meant she was about to say something she did not want ignored. "They play every Saturday night at this bar called The Organization. I've never been, but I figure it might be a nice place to take Hayner for him to get over his last relationship."

Roxas was almost fearing the worst. "And why did you bring this up?"

Namine twirled her pen deftly between her long, thin fingers. She smiled, replying, "I want them to play the reception."

"A cover band? Can't we just hire a DJ that would just play the tracks for us?" Namine's cell phone rang. It was a wedding march tune, meaning that the wedding planner was calling. His fiancée always answered when she called, and wouldn't stop talking for hours. Namine pulled a white cell phone from her purse and answered with a smile.

"Tifa, hi! I was wondering if you had talked with the catering people yet because I was trying to…" Roxas pulled his coat on and started walking towards the door. "And they told me it would cost two extra dollars a plate if they added the pea shoot salads since they're out of season, which is why I wanted to consult with you first because I know some people who don't like salads and my uncle's house only has one restroom so there might be a line of people who need to use the mirror to check that they don't have any hideous green chunks in their teeth. How about-" she held her hand over the receiver and turned to Roxas, who had almost escaped unnoticed "-You're going to that show tonight!" Returning to her phone conversation it was decided that the meal would be cheaper and more people would be happy if the pea shoots were replaced with kale.

Roxas sighed and pocketed the business card, walking outside and feeling the brisk, cold air on his cheeks. It was a nice feeling. He walked down the sidewalk and turned the corner, realizing that his tram had just started moving from its stop. As much as Roxas liked the cold weather, he was in no mood to wait another fifteen minutes at the tram stop. He sprinted towards the moving vehicle, hoping it would notice him.

"Hey!" he shouted to some of the people in the window of the tram. They were ignoring him, great. They were approaching a red light, and Roxas sighed in relief. He ran up to the door and hit it three times, waving to the driver inside.

The door opened with a hiss and Roxas stepped inside, thanking the driver. The first thing he noticed about him was the angry expression on his face, then the fire engine red hair that was tied back loosely behind his head. Roxas had never seen this driver before, but then again he never rode this tram line in the mornings. "Take a picture," the driver said shortly. He shut the door quickly with a loud squeak of the gears as the light turned green again. "And stand behind the yellow line."

_Rude_. Roxas sighed and stepped over the yellow line separating the driver from the rest of the tram to the middle, taking a pole and holding on. When the tram reached it's third stop, he hopped off quickly in hopes that he would go unnoticed. He reached his hand into his pocket and felt something inside. It was his Tram Commons Go card, a reusable ticket that he paid for every month so he wouldn't have to use change to pay for the ride. Roxas realized he hadn't swiped it, and the driver let him ride for free. The disgruntled redhead was probably too angry to notice, he decided, and figured it was his good fortune for the day.

The blonde walked the rest of the way to Hayner's place. Two blocks away. Before he could knock on the door of his friend's second floor apartment, his name was called behind him. "Roxas?" The blonde turned and there was Hayner with a basket full of rumpled, clean laundry. "Sorry, man, I wasn't expecting you… What's up?"

The shorter man frowned slightly and stood back while Hayner unlocked the door. "We were supposed to meet up today."

"Well, yeah. I knew that. But it's, like, eleven in the morning. Where's Namine?" Hayner would constantly ask where his fiancée was if she wasn't hovering around Roxas with her pink binder. It was a small annoyance to Roxas that his friends thought Namine didn't have a life outside of him.

They stepped inside and Hayner threw the basket on an old chair. Most of the furniture in his apartment was used and looked dirty. The couch, while it was made from leather, had many scratches held together with duct tape. The chair had a mysterious stain on it from purchase in which Hayner couldn't make it go away. The carpet was once white, but now a dull beige. The walls had scratches on it. In all, Roxas felt like he should take a shower after stepping foot in the place.

"She's out and about," he answered lightly, taking a seat on a fabric folding chair in the corner, the cleanest thing he could find. Hayner was used to his, and after coming out from the kitchen with two beers, handed one to Roxas and collapsed on the couch. "So soon?" Roxas asked, twisting off the cap anyway and taking a drink.

"Why the hell not?" Hayner griped, taking the remote off the coffee table, which was actually just an old wooden door he had found, varnished, and placed on cement blocks. "It'll be a head start." Roxas wasn't even old enough to legally drink yet, but that never really stopped him. However he wasn't a fan of drinking in the morning… or anytime before happy hour, really. After a minute of watching Hayner complain about how there was nothing to watch, he placed his bottle on the coffee table.

"Coaster."

"Hayner, do you want to talk about what's really bothering you? I set aside an entire day so we could hang out."

"Sure. As soon as you use a coaster."

Hayner's juvenile behavior was a small price to exterminate the elephant in the room. Roxas removed an empty can of Sprite from the coaster it was hogging a coaster and placed cheap piece of cardboard under his bottle. "Okay, spill. What was her name? Sarah? Susan?"

"Selphie."

"Right. So, what was so special about her?"

Hayner scoffed. "Nothing much, apparently. I take her out to eat four times a week. We saw a movie every weekend. She would spend the night when she didn't have early classes the next morning. And then she tells me that she's in love with her childhood friend from the island and can't stay with me."

Roxas scoffed. "She discovered this after draining your wallet, huh? Two words-"

"Don't say it," Hayner threatened, a look in his eyes easily conveying annoyance and weariness.

The blonde pointed at him with his bottle still in his hand. "I ain't sayin' she's a _gold digga_, but she ain't messin' with-"

Hayner laughed and smacked the bottle out of Roxas' outstretched hand. It was only half-full when it touched the carpet, so the blonde was able to pick it up before in spilt. Not that anyone would have been able to notice with all of the mystery stains that plagued the filthy brown rug. "It would've been impossible for Selphie to be after me for money." He paused to spread his arms around him to show off his apartment. "I mean, look at this place!"

"Well, you know, some girls like that. Believing in first loves and all… You know, a change of scenery would do you good. Maybe you should move into a different place." He gave the makeshift coffee table a small nudge with his foot. "Maybe get some real furniture…"

"With what money?" At this point Hayner turned the television off and stood, arms outstretched. "This is all I can afford! I can't make life changes just for some girl. I'm only twenty-one, Rox, it doesn't work that way." He took a hefty gulp from his bottle and took it with him into the kitchen. Roxas stood and followed.

"It's really not that big of a change. You know, if you worked at extra evening a week and saved up, maybe found a second, easy job that'd let you work on Sundays… It just takes some planning. Maybe you'll find a nice girl and settle down."

"Settle? I don't want to settle!" Hayner declared, finally finding what he was looking for in the pantry. He pulled out an opened bag of potato chips and started munching. "It may have been easy for you, but it's not that simple. I like my life the way it is! I just wish I could find someone who liked me for me, too…"

Roxas sighed, letting the echoing munches of Hayner's lunch fill the void on his side of the conversation. It wasn't until Roxas realized that his bottle was empty that he started to make strides in speaking again. "Love doesn't exactly work like that," he said softly. "You can't just find someone and hope they'll magically fit into your life without making room for them first."

Hayner didn't reply for a long time. He had stopped eating and was focused on the ground, clearly thinking hard and choosing his next words wisely. He placed his bottle on the counter and cleared his throat. "It's just- you just… You started dating Namine when you were sixteen. The only other relationship you had ever been in was…" he paused and turned his eyes to the ceiling, clearly trying to think, "…never. And that one time when Marla O'Day kissed you on the cheek in the seventh grade doesn't count."

"Look, Namine and I were lucky to find each other, but that doesn't mean that we both-"

"Whatever, dude, I'm not in the mood. You're here to help me through this, remember?" Hayner stated to shut him up. He picked his bottle up again and chugged the rest. "I'm so bored!" he shouted, tossing the bottle in a paper sack he used for recycling. "Want to go out?"

Roxas paused, looking at the clock on the stove. "It's not even noon yet. What would we do?" he asked, tossing his bottle in the bag as well.

"Well, I have some errands I need to run," he sighed, obviously not wanting to go. "Wanna come with? I need to run to the bank and deposit my scholarship checks, go to the hardware store and get a new drill bit, and to the grocery store to stock up for the week."

In all honesty, no, Roxas did not want to go with Hayner on all of his errands. He would have been much more than happy to go back to his apartment and study for a mid term he had coming up. However, empathy for his friend got the best of him, and he shrugged on his jacket as he marched towards the door. The broken-hearted rarely want to run menial errands alone.

Roughly three hours later found Roxas leaning on the shopping cart while Hayner tried to choose between Frosted Cheerios and Frosted Flakes. "They're the same thing," Roxas tried to reason. "It depends on whether you like your breakfast crunchy or flakey." Hayner shot Roxas a quick glare, and turned both boxes to their side to read the nutritional information.

"Hey, Rox, be a peach and get me some paper towels, huh? Cheapest kind they have." Roxas pushed the cart to the side of the isle out of the way. The paper towel isle was quite possibly the most boring isle in a grocery store. There was no joy from it. At least in the food isle you had the prospects of how delicious a meal could be in the future. With paper towels it just seemed like you had to clean up messes.

"SHIT!"

Roxas immediately ducked after hearing a loud clank come from behind him. He felt numerous objects collide with his shoulders and the back of his head and he cried out before falling to the ground.

"Omigawd! Dude, are okay?" the voice sounded panicked. Roxas groaned and looked up. A teenage punk was looking down at him, nibbling on his lip ring nervously. Strands from his stacked mohawk had fallen over his worried blue eyes. "Here, lemme help you up." Roxas took the hand the kid had outstretched and dusted himself off.

"Thanks," he muttered, looking down around his feet at what hit him. It was a stack of diapers.

"I really am sorry about all this," the punk sighed, bending down to pick up the diapers. Roxas followed and helped him. "It's my sister, y'know? She likes this certain brand. And we're kind of on a budget so we have to buy in bulk, but this place always puts the bulk on the higher shelves." He pointed to the highest shelf, an easy four feet out of reach. It did seem odd that the largest, heaviest items were at the top. What if instead of cushiony diapers his head was hit with a crate of bulk soup? Roxas gulped and rubbed the back of his head sorely. "You look familiar."

Roxas turned towards the kid, who had taken to staring him in the eyes. Roxas glanced briefly down at what the boy was wearing. Skinny black and cerulean zebra striped pants, four needless leather belts, and a black oversized long sleeved shirt that shifted too far to the left and had rolled off his shoulder. The poor child looked like he was born in the 80s and then abandoned there. Every time his body shifted it caused the chains on his pants and belts to jingle. Even if they had met in passing, Roxas would never associate with someone like him.

"You're Strife's little brother, aren't you?"

Roxas blinked, and looked at the boy again. "You know Sora?"

"I knew it was you!" he said happily, jumping quickly while clutching a bulk package of diapers closer to his chest. "Roxas Strife, right? Yeah, totally! Sora and I were tight. I mean, we met my junior year when he was just a freshman, but we hung out all the time!"

The shorter blonde didn't believe a word he was saying. If he was a junior when Sora was a freshman, that meant Roxas would have been in the seventh grade. This meant that this 'kid' was at least five years older than him. "Who are you?" he asked. Perhaps a name would help clear things up.

"Oh! Sorry, geez, I'm Demyx. Demyx Skönstedt." Roxas' mind nearly tripped over itself trying to reply his name. He was too busy thinking about it, he had missed Demyx's outstretched hand. The mohawked man withdrew his hand and rubbed it clumsily, taking Roxas' confused look awkwardly. "It's, um… Swedish…" He scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin. Roxas tried to remember back when he was in the seventh grade if he ever remembered Sora talking about a _'Demyx Skönstedt'_. Unfortunately, no memory surfaced, and he found himself launched into tedious smalltalk.

"So… ah, you're Bastion High alum, huh?" Roxas asked, although extremely doubtful that this kid actually finished high school. He glanced over Demyx's shoulder hoping to catch sight of Hayner passing by.

Demyx nodded, moving to hold the diapers in a bear-hug style. Roxas had heard him say they were for his sister. He wondered briefly if their family was into inbreeding. "Yeah, graduated okay. My GPA wasn't too hot but I got nearly perfects of the SAT so all~l of these colleges kept sending me scholarships and stuff!" he chuckled. "But, yeah, I ended up going to this university on Destiny Islands because I got a free ride there and I always wanted to live in the tropics, you know?" The wheels in Roxas' mind were turning again. Sora had applied to the only university on Destiny Islands and was rejected. Just _how_ poor was this punk's GPA and how good was his SAT score that he got a full scholarship? "And, yeah, graduated from there and bought an apartment hoping to stay awhile, but it turned out my big sis got knocked up and had a kid so I just moved back a couple of months ago." Demyx blushed and covered his mouth. "I am so sorry! Here I am going on and you probably have somewhere to be."

Roxas shook his head, but somewhat relieved that the punk was ending the conversation. Demyx turned around and shoved the huge package of diapers under his shopping cart, which was filled mostly baby formulas and a few soft pastel-colored toys, along with a set of stainless steel kitchen knives and a ten-pack of cigarette lighters. Roxas feared for the baby that a punk like Demyx seemed to be the one responsible for.

"It's no problem," Roxas stated, eyeing the knives warily. "I was just picking up some stuff for a friend." He held up a bulk package of paper towels as proof. Demyx laughed and started pushing his cart the opposite way down the isle.

"It was great running into yah. Be sure to tell Sora I said 'hi!' Believe or not, I still have my old cell number, so tell him to give me a call!" He waved happily, and Roxas returned with a crooked smile and a half-assed nod. As soon as Demyx was safely around the corner, Roxas rushed back to the cereal isle and found Hayner tossing a box of Frosted Flakes into his cart.

"Took you long enough," he stated, looking at the paper towels in Roxas' hands. "What the hell, dude. I only need, like four. Not thirty-six."

"I've seen your kitchen," Roxas rebuked. "You need as much help as you can get." He shoved the paper towels in the space under the cart.

"Okay, whatever." Hayner read off his shopping list. "Alright, next is orange juice and frozen foods." As they walked to the back of the grocery store, Roxas kept glancing over his shoulder hoping he wouldn't run into that skuzzy punk again. He heard Hayner mutter something in the back of his mind and jumped when his head hit a produce weight. Hayner grabbed the holding bin so it wouldn't smack Roxas' head again. "Oi! I said '_Watch out!'_ What's with you?"

In the corner of his eye, Roxas swore he saw a hint of blue and black zebra stripes and the sounds of that weird boy laughing at him. "Does the name Demyx… uh… Demyx Skoonst- Skunste- Sk-"

Hayner held up his hand to stop Roxas from tripping over his own words. "I'm sure there's only one person named Demyx in the world. What about him?"

"You know him?"

Hayner cocked his head to the side and scrunched his nose. "Eh, not really. My big brother was friends with his sister and Demyx would come over sometimes and smoke weed with them. But he's, like, hundreds of miles away on some island right now…"

Roxas shook his head. "Nah, I just ran into him. He moved back to the Hollows a few months ago because his sister had a _kid_."

Hayner shrugged. "Oh, that's nice."

"No, it's not. It must be some bastard child or else he wouldn't have had to come all the way back home just to take care of it!"

The older student sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Look, it's not that big of a deal. He and his sister have always been close. I mean, if you guys never met how'd you know who he was to begin with? He's been on the islands for five years. _I_ wouldn't even know what he looked like."

"Apparently he was real chummy with Sora. They were 'tight,'" Roxas said with a sneer. "I never heard of him. I'd remember a name like that…"

"So what's the big deal? Sora had a school friend. I'm sure it happens to the best of us."

"No. Not my Sora. Did you… with that _outfit_! Did you _see_ him?"

"_Jesus_, Roxas, _chill_." Hayner looked briefly around him to prove a point. "No, I obviously haven't seen. Stop being such a dick. I liked Demyx." He tossed four boxes of frozen dinners into his cart. Roxas chose tastefully not to comment. He didn't trust Demyx, and he hoped that Hayner would soon understand why.

Two hours later found the boys back at Hayner's house, groceries unpacked and in their proper order. It was getting near six o'clock. The television was only so amusing, and ads for pizza and burger joints were popping up like rabbits.

"Damn, I'm hungry… Wanna go somewhere?"

The shorter blonde tried to ignore the fact that he had just purchased over seventy dollars worth of groceries. Roxas was starving since he hadn't eaten all day, save for his coffee and half-eaten biscotti he left with Namine. "Should we get the festivities started, then?" He patted his jean pockets looking for his keys. Unsuccessful, he reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of paper instead.

"What's that?" Hayner asked, noticing Roxas' puckered lips in frustration.

Roxas sighed. "It's a card for some band Namine wants to play the reception. She said that they play at some club called Organization or something."

"Wow, seriously? That's a pretty underground club. I wouldn't know how to get in even if I wanted to."

For a brief moment their eyes met, and they both could tell that the same thought was racing through their minds. A challenge… awesome. "Wanna give it a shot?"

**000ooo000ooo000**

There was a long line outside the building for The Organization. Roxas noticed while walking swiftly to the front that most of them were only children. They all wore hoodies with stripes, keeping the hoods on over their heads and obscuring their faces. Even though Roxas couldn't see their eyes, he felt like they were watching him like a hawk.

"I think this isn't such a good idea. Maybe Namine got the wrong place." Roxas mumbled to Hayner, wanting to back out and head back towards his car. It wasn't too late for them to eat at a nice Chili's, far away from the manic-depressive hoard glaring daggers at them.

Hayner shivered, regretting wearing only shorts and his favorite pullover in the fall weather. Roxas was better set for wear, still wearing the same brown business slacks and long sleeve button up from when he was eating brunch with Namine, but in their current company he felt out of place.

"Chillax. I think this is right." Reaching the start of the line, Hayner found a bouncer and greeted him with a smile. The man was a gruff, muscular man with fine lines tracing around his face. His hair was short and spiked, topped with green sunglasses. He bit on the butt of a simmering cigarette, showing off his razor sharp threatening teeth. Hayner didn't appear half as threatened as Roxas did, and said smoothly, "Good evening. I was wondering if you could help us. Who's playing tonight?"

The bouncer raised a brow and frowned. Roxas could hear some of the kids behind him snicker. "Are you serious? If yeh jackoffs have t'ask, then yer in bad company."

Hayner cocked a brow. "Woah-ho, no need for the language. We've got a minor present." Now Roxas heard the kids behind growl. Hayner and Roxas had different ways of dealing with anxiety. While Roxas tended to draw himself in like a tortoise, Hayner got cockier.

One of the hoodies spoke up. "Hey, shut up, asshole! Get back in line."

Hayner rolled his eyes and smirked, making eye contact with the small girl who was standing in the front of the line. A large boy standing next to her spoke those big words, but Hayner had a feeling he was speaking on behalf of his leader, the girl. "Relax, cutie, I was talking about him." The taller blonde stuck a thumb out at Roxas, earning a smirk from the girl and the posse behind her.

"Funny," she stated, peering at Hayner with one eye, the other hidden behind platinum blonde bangs. Her glare was focused on the bouncer. "Cid."

The man turned to her and glowered. Roxas watched the electricity exchange between the two. The older man sneered and bit out, "_What?_"

The white haired girl only had to give a very venomous look to Cid, the bouncer, and the older gent grunted and scratched the back of his head. "Yeh two lucked out. Do yeh have any idea how _sold out_ this show is?"

"13 Hearts?" Roxas took a chance to step in, hoping that they were at the right place. Or if fortune truly smiled upon them, then maybe they were at the wrong place and they could just go home and forget this ever happened.

Cid turned his attention to Roxas for the first time. "So yah _do_ know who's playing tonight? Why ask in the first place, yah idiot?"

"Well… We were just checking," Roxas said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the card Namine had given him. "My fiancé wanted me to check them out for-"

"Oh! Why didn't you show me this earlier?" he asked, his gruff and gravely voice becoming noticeably softer. "Go on in. Axe would wanna talk to yeh before the show…" He stepped aside and pushed open the black door covered in old, wasted gig posters. "IDs, please."

Hayner reached for his wallet and pulled out his ID. He was always given grief since he had just turned twenty-one and every bouncer suspected the card was a fraud. The bouncer eventually accepted it and placed a small, inky stamp on his wrist. Before Hayner stepped through the door he turned to the white haired girl and winked and Roxas had to pretend very, _very_ hard that his friend was not just flirting with a sixteen-year-old.

Roxas stepped up and showed his card only to be met with more grief. "Yah still twenty?" The stout blonde wanted nothing more than to _not_ talk to this man. However, Hayner had already abandoned him for the bar inside.

"So?"

Cid the bouncer rolled his eyes and shoved the card back at Roxas taking a giant sharpie out of his back pocket. "Sorry, I just thought yeh said something earlier 'bout having a fiancée. Stupid."

Roxas wasn't sure whether the 'Stupid' was directed towards himself for being engaged, or to Cid for possibly misunderstanding, but the attitude the bouncer was exuded left no room for personal self-doubt. "I am engaged." Roxas held up his hand to call attention to a promise ring he kept on his left ring finger that would be replaced with the wedding band during the ceremony. Namine wore a matching set.

Laughing incredulously, Cid uncapped his marker and wrote a bit, fat 'X' on Roxas' hand. "Lemme see the other one." Roxas wasn't fond of having two ink splotches on the back of his hands. As soon as Cid was finished, he put his ID back in his wallet. "Listen, kid, pace yeh'self, right? Yeh don't wanna get caught in some web before yah ready."

And at this point Roxas could not _believe_ a bouncer at a kid's club was giving marital advice. He chose to ignore him and storm on through. The inside was smaller than he thought it would be. The stage was located on a corner against a foggy windowed wall. Everything inside the building, save for the crumbling hardwood floors, was painted black, with the only source of light coming from the stage lights and the bar. The bar was located in the back next to a set of double-doors with a neon 'Smoke Outside Only' sign.

He spotted Hayner sitting at the bar and walked over, taking a seat next to him. "The bouncer said we had to find someone and talk to them before the show…" Roxas mumbled. Hayner, apparently, wasn't listening and was giving his full attention to shot glass of _something_ placed in front of him. The club was relatively empty compared the crowd waiting outside. Most people chatted against the walls, and there was a group of scene kids drinking water further down the row. Roxas took this moment to grab the attention of the bartender who was idly standing by cleaning a glass.

"Want some water, kid?" he asked, a smirk on his face. Roxas glared and reached into his pocket to pull out the card Namine gave him. Before bringing his hands back up to the counter he pulled the sleeves of his coat down to try and cover the X's.

"Ah, no," Roxas spat. "I need to talk to whoever's in charge for this band. We want to hire them."

The bartender pointed to the group of scene kids standing near them. "Well, that's who you wanna talk to right there. The redhead."

Roxas turned and easily picked him out. The boy who was standing closest to him with his back turned had a mane of bright, fire engine red hair that was tamed into a ponytail. Roxas tapped his shoulder and was met with broken green eyes. The redhead looked down at him and frowned. "What do you want?"

The blonde noticed he had a labret piercing just like Demyx, only his was a vicious silver spike jutting straight through the middle of his lower lip. There were small tattoos under his eyes that made him look like a clown with all the eye makeup he was wearing, albeit a very sad, creepy clown.

Roxas tried for form a sentence, but found himself unable to look up the right words. The piercing green eyes seemed to be scrutinizing everything about him. More so than any moment achieved so far that evening, Roxas felt so completely out of place that he wanted to sprint back to his car, no looking back. The fear rising up his chest was terrifying and he was at the point that he would leave Hayner behind just to get away from this man. "Look, kid, I-uh don't do autographs unless you catch me after a show," the man sighed, turning back to his group. Not a word was spoken, but they all laughed.

"That's," Roxas started, this time nervously tapping the redhead's shoulder and turning his attention to face him again, "not what I wanted." Still holding their business card in his hand, Roxas decided to flash it one more time. The small piece of paper seemed to work wonders before with the bouncer and bartender. The redhead snatched the paper from him and flipped it around, looking at it as if he had never even laid eyes on it before.

"You know Tifa?" he asked, tilting his eyes up to get a better look at Roxas. The blonde saw as the bright green eyes look down to the large X's on his hands. The redhead didn't miss the ring on Roxas' finger either. "Aren't you a little young to be getting hitched?"

Roxas glared. "Aren't you a little bold to be talking down to your future employer?" he quipped. The redhead smiled nervously and handed the card back.

"Right, right. Sorry," he said lightly, patting him on the back. "I think I remember Tifa talking about you. You're the really young couple getting married this December?" Whatever happened to client confidentiality? Roxas really didn't want the punk to know everything about his personal calendar.

"Who is Tifa to you?"

"My cousin. She's constantly trying to get us to play Master of Ceremonies and stuff. It's really not our scene," he shrugged, gesturing to the club around him. _Obviously_, Roxas thought. "We do play some awesome covers, though. If that's what you're interested in. It's just we won't play them tonight. We're trying to sell our new CD tonight, you see, and most of the kids here probably wouldn't know Fleetwood Mac from Freddie Mercury."

Roxas blinked. He _loved_ Freddie Mercury. And luckily he had enough mental restraint to not shout it out loud as soon as the redhead dropped his name. "Can we go somewhere else to talk?" he asked.

Green eyes blinked and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Sure." He turned to his posse and told them he would be back. "We're done with mic check so it'll be a little bit before doors open. Over here." He walked past Roxas to a door on the opposite side of the floor. There was a large sign that read 'EMPLOYEES ONLY' in threatening red ink. Inside the room was trashed. It smelled of urine and there was nowhere to sit. It was just larger than a public bathroom, and the band's equipment took up over half the space.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know your name."

"Oh, sorry, I'm kind of used to people knowing who I am around here," he stated. At least he wasn't modest. "Axel Rose." He held out his hand, which Roxas pointedly did not choose to shake.

"Seriously?" Roxas asked. "Seriously. Like… Axl Rose?"

"Yeah." Their eyes met in a struggle, and Axel lowered his hand when it became apparent he wasn't going to win.

"Ugh, you aren't going to sing 'Welcome to the Jungle' or anything tonight, are you?"

He laughed. "No. That song's only good if there's a bunch of hammered people around." Well, at least he wasn't deceitful. Axel seemed to be miles away in a daze about the idea of drunken women and Guns 'n Roses.

"I'm going to be perfectly honest for a moment," Roxas sighed, cutting off whatever daydream Axel was focused on. "You really aren't the type I want playing my wedding."

Axel bent down to a duffle bag and unzipped it, pulling out a beat up carton of cigarettes. "Really? And what is your type, small-fry?"

The hair on Roxas' back was on end. "Do you really think I need to explain? Look at you! Your hair is dyed, you wear all black, your face is holed up, you have tattoos on your cheeks…" Roxas left the ending open to signify he could continue. Axel was wearing a slim fit long sleeved black button up shirt, and Roxas was almost positive he had more tattoos infecting his skin underneath it.

Axel took a zippo lighter out of his back pocket and sparked his cigarette. "Honestly? You're obviously not the type I would want to play for. I know a lot of business types that are really cool people to hang out with but you just seem like complete and total prick." Taking a deep drag that seemed to vaporize half the stick, Axel released the smoke, making sure it was towards the rusty vent at the top of the room. "But Tifa vouches for you. So I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Our rates are three hundred for the night, food, tickets for the bar, and I want to be able to sell our CD at the ceremony."

"Rest assured we don't associate with the types interested in your music," Roxas bit out. "And don't go naming prices until we've heard you play."

"You came on a piss-poor night if you wanted to hear us. Your ears will be bleeding before the first song's over." He took another substantial drag before snubbing the cigarette on the floor. "We aren't playing any 60's Dylan hippie shit tonight. You're going to get killed." As he said this smoke crept out from his mouth and rose slowly around his face. Roxas thought the image was nothing short of terrifying, but he kept it to himself. Once again, he found himself faced with a challenge. Axel didn't want him to stay, well tough.

"I'm going to watch the show," Roxas declared. The muffled sounds and chatter from outside was starting to grow, and Axel gave his crushed cigarette a final smear into the concrete floor before sighing.

"Do whatever you want, kid. I can't tell you to leave."

There was a knock on the door, and before anyone had a chance to answer it three other men piled into the small room.

"This fucking sucks! I hate playing here. Their green room is a bathroom," a man with an eye patch said, glowering into the mirror.

"Stop before you break it." A man with long, glitter-rock pink hair shoved the gruff man away and used the mirror to apply goopy black makeup around his eyes. The man with the eye patch focused his single creepy tanned eye at Roxas.

"Dude, who's the kid?"

Roxas didn't get a chance to say anything before Axel answered him. "He's nobody." The angered redhead opened the door and shoved Roxas out. "Sorry, buddy, but we got a show to prepare for." Roxas felt the door slam on his back, and it took every fiber of his trachea not to scream like a little kid.

Since being led inside the green room by Axel, the club had filled up with all the punks that were waiting in the long line outside. Most of them were too young to drink, and he could easily spot Hayner at the bar. His face paled when he realized he was chatting up the white haired girl they had seen earlier.

_Idiot_! Roxas panicked and shuffled over to the older blonde, sitting with three shot glasses lip-down next to him.

"All I'm saying is that they've _changed_ since the first album. It could seriously be DIY but, and listen to me, okay? But as soon as they got a deal with the big label the fuckin' sold out."

The rolled her eyes and flipped him off. "Deal," she spat.

"No! No, listen to me, alright? There is nothing punk about big band music mixing with guitars-"

"Hayner, can I talk with you for a moment?" Roxas bit out, grabbing his friend's shoulder and pulling him away. He dragged him out to the smoking area, which looked like a small park and was a breath of fresh air compared to the growing body heat from inside the club. "_What_ the fuck do you think you're doing talking to her?"

"Nothing," Hayner slurred, his breath wreaking. "She brought up punk music and the Sex Pistols and I told her it was stereotypical and she started talking about-"

Roxas held up his hand, stopping him. "She's still in _high_ _school_, Hayner. And you're on the rebound. It could be a felony if you're caught talking to her."

"Ugh, seriously, I was just talking to her. Don't take everything so seriously." He brushed Roxas off and went back inside. Roxas wanted to bang his head against a wall. Why was everyone _so_ against him today?

"Mic check! One- Two! Syphilis, syphilis!" echoed from inside the club. The kids around him simultaneously dropped the cigarettes and marched back in. Roxas sighed and stood in the back where all the parents watched on. The green room door opened and Axel, followed by the other guys that had came in while Roxas was there, ducked out and sprinted through the crowd to get to the stage on the opposite side of the floor.

The club was in an uproar. Roxas had never seen anything like it. The only thing close to a concert he had ever been to was a battle of the bands Hayner had participated in briefly in high school.

When Axel hit the stage the lights reflected off his bright red hair that made him stand out from the other players. The man with the eye patch had strapped on a yellow six string and a blond man with multiple piercings on his ears slowly strapped on a black bass and started popping his knuckles. The pink haired man with copious amounts of mascara and glitter stood behind the drums and screamed. The punks in the audience screamed back.

"What the fuck is up, Bastion?" Axel screamed. The eye patch man plugged in and let rip a searing riff had the kids wailing back and storming closer to the stage. Axel plugged in and plucked a few melodic notes on his guitar, glancing to the bassist and drummer and nodding before jumping high and screaming. "_Are you ready?_"

Roxas' ears were assaulted with shouts and roars and animalistic purrs. The guitar was scratchy and experimental, but it managed to carry and beat and melody that was nothing like Guns 'n Roses. Axel was shouting about hearts, blood, and pretty boys and girls that were plagued by unrequited love. Roxas found the back of the club to be the safest place, because in front of the stage fights started breaking out and some of the punks were literally punching each other, although Axel and the band seemed to be _encouraging_ this behavior.

He could hear Hayner and the white haired girl talking back and forth, having to shout over Axel. "Why aren't you up there with the other girls?" Hayner asked, gesturing to the troupe of girls with big hair at the very front of the stage, standing between the mosh pit, reaching out and touching Axel's legs and arms when he was close enough. The girl scrunched her nose and shook her head.

"Dangerous," she stated evenly. Axel leaned his body into the audience and was grabbed and touched and groped by all the punks until they pushed him back onstage when it was time for the next chorus.

"_You don't want to care AT ALL_!" Axel shouted, and the punks pumped their firsts in the air and chanted along with him. "Alright!" Axel said in a congratulatory way. "That was sweet, Bastion. Tasty. But now it's time for a different song. I think you guys know what it is." The crowd hushed in silent anticipation. "I want everyone to clear the floor!" Axel barked. "NOW!" Slowly, the punks started skimming to the edges, leaving an empty place in front of the stage. "FASTER!" the frontman roared. "BIGGER!" The hole left in the audience was getting so large that it was opening up to the bar in the back of the room. Axel unstrapped his guitar and jumped off the stage, starting to forcefully shove some of the kids out of the way so the gap would be made larger.

Axel continued until he was near the back of the space, and he looked up and caught Roxas' eyes like a magnet. The redhead sneered at him and turned back around. "Good! Good!" he told the kids. All the while the man with the eye patch was strumming an ominous, high-pitched rhythm with his guitar. Axel slipping his guitar back on and joined the other man, the rhythm slowly growing slower, and slower… and softer…

"DEADLY NIGHT SHADE!" Axel screamed, and the guitars instantly sped up and the drums kicked in and all three of the guitarists started thrashing as Axel screaming about killing friends and family. The gap that the frontman worked so hard to create was filled in an instead into the largest mosh pit yet. Kids were getting elbowed, punched, kicked, and slashed. No more than five feet away from Roxas he saw a boy get punched in the nose and blood was splattered over the filthy hardwood floor.

Nervously, he glanced back to the bartender who had helped him earlier, and the man was just standing and cleaning a glass as if this were an everyday thing.

"C'mon!" the girl standing next to Hayner shouted, despite her word of warning earlier, pulling on the older blonde's arm. "Fun!" His friend laughed and followed the girl into the pit. Roxas freaked and grabbed Hayner's arm.

"_Woah_kay. Listen, I know you like her and everything but as your friend I cannot let you go in there. You _will_ die!" Roxas wasn't sure if his shouting was reaching Hayner's ears over the sound of the speakers. The older boy smiled, winked, and disappeared with his little angel of death into the ruckus. Roxas grumbled in defeat. He couldn't just leave without Hayner; Roxas was his ride. Although he was sure the girl's mother would give him a ride back to his apartment, if it were necessary. He laughed at the thought.

For a brief moment, Hayner's head popped up above the crowd. He had apparently made his way past the mosh pit and was jumping in a throng of high school kids right in front of the band. He had to admit, even though it appeared like his lungs would collapse under the pressure, it looked like Hayner was having the time of his life.

Axel took the microphone and cupped it into his hand, whispering into it and wearing a face like a kicked puppy. "_Did they even notice you? Crying about your wrist's tattoo. There's nothing you can do about it now, boy_." His voice started to rise, the beat quickened, Roxas felt his pulse accelerate. "_Stop pretending to be coy! You were just a toy! All you did was annoy! DEPLOY! DESTROY!_" Axel was only trying to scream at this point. Nothing came out, and his throat was tarnished. That didn't stop the audience from continuing to beat each other up in the pit. The punks near the front of the stage were singing the rest of the song in Axel's place. The guitarists stopped, fingers bleeding and sweat pouring, and let the sound of the kid's voices rise above all else. There was magic in the club that night. Axel stood on stage and absorbed the attention with a grin, urging everyone to continue.

"Thank you!" he croaked into the mic. He took a moment to point to a table set up in the vacant corner of the club. "We have CDs and a shirt and crap in the back, if you're interested."

Roxas noticed some of the kids mulling their way towards the booth. Roxas bit his lip, and finally decided that Namine would probably want to listen to the music first, before making a decision. At least, that what he told himself before walking to the booth before the other punks had a chance form a line and shelling out ten bucks for their album.

"Oh… OHH… What do we have here?" Axel laughed, still talking into the mic. Roxas was handed his CD with a nod of thanks for the person handling the cash box. The blonde sighed and turned to find Hayner when he realized that the red headed frontman was staring right at him. He had seen him purchase the CD. "We have one last song to sing before we crash for the night. It's a cover."

His last words dripped like acid, his glare boring holes into Roxas before he turned and shouted something at the bassist and guitarist. He made a hand gesture towards the drummer who nodded, tapping the sticks together four times before all the instruments kicked in at once, Axel bursting out singing in a very different way than he had been before.

"_I've got something to say_!" there was a brief pause, and Roxas heard some of the punks laughing. His voice was deeper, stronger, and it didn't appear that he was going to start screaming. Roxas gave him the benefit of the doubt. "_I killed a baby today! And it doesn't matter much to me, as long as it's dead_!"

And Roxas immediately regretted his decision. Axel, damn him, laughed at the blonde as he frowned, walking away to the door. "Well!" Axel giggled, back to his normal, high pitched tone. He couldn't sing anymore, whether it was because it was the end of the set and his voice was tired or because he was too busy laughing. The punks in the audience picked up on the song quickly, though. Roxas had never heard of it, and he hoped he never did again.

"_I've got something to say!_" the kids chanted. _"I raped your mother today! And it doesn't matter much to me, as long as she spread!_"

The audience had stopped moshing and wrapped their arms around each other in a sense of camaraderie. It was shocking that the kids were acting so friendly over a disgusting, distasteful song. Roxas decided to screw Hayner. He could stay and listen to this terrible song with a little girl if he wanted to, but the blond had enough. Stuffing the CD that he now regretting purchasing in his pocket, Roxas walked back to his car and left as quickly as possible. He couldn't hear properly until the next morning.

**xxx**

So it's been a while! If you remember from back in the day, I'll answer a few questions. If you don't, that's fine and thanks for checking out my story (it's really, really long so I hope you'll stick around~).

**Why did you wipe your account?**  
>A number of reasons. I had started playing Kingdom Hearts when it originally came out, when I was in high school. KH2 came out my freshman year of college, and by the time I was nearing graduation my mind was focused on other creative efforts and less on video game fandom. While some of my friends at the time were understanding in my leisurely pastime of writing fanfics, a lot of my casual acquaintances and coworkers were less-so. I had links to my public portfolio sites on my ff dot net profile page, and people who liked my fanfics were going into these portals where my professional contacts could see them and talking about my stories there. It was really uncomfortable for me. (<em>"What happens on fanfiction dot net stays on fanfiction dot net."<em>) I'm an incredibly private person and only want certain aspects of my personal life to be shared with certain people. My fanfiction is not something I wanted prospective clients to see or know about, I hope y'all understand. It had been a long while, over a year, since I had last updated anything anyway so I decided to scrub my account clean, since the site doesn't allow to delete accounts.

**Why did you decide to come back and repost _Ballad?_**  
>Right away I felt regret. People who didn't know how to contact me outside of this site were asking about me elsewhere, asking if anybody had saved my fics onto their hard drives, some even asking if I was <em>okay<em>. A couple still knew how to reach me and I reached out to a couple people providing pdfs of _Ballad_ if they wanted to read it. In the meantime, I've made a new circle of friends the past few years after I scrubbed my account and they're incredibly, at some times excessively, supportive of me and all my creative endeavors, including my fanfics. I've been thinking about reposting the stories I've finished and were particularly proud of, and they were behind my back all the way. A fanfiction author I enjoy, Falaphesian, recently updated a story they hadn't touched in years, so I thought "If they can do it, so can I."

So, I'm re-reading Ballad and making small edits when they're needed. (The first few chapters weren't beta'd and are a mess.) I'm going to repost edited chapters here on as much of a regular basis as I can manage. (I'm shooting for once a week, but we'll see how it goes.)

_(Also, not going to lie, playing KH2.5 has reignited my passion for the series. I hadn't played the game since college and I think it holds up hella good. Could not be more happy with it. I never played any of the games that came out after KH2 because I didn't have the proper handheld devices, so I'm so psyched about continuing the story. I have no idea who Terra, Aqua, and Ventus are so I'm looking forward to knowing all about them!)_

**Will you repost any of your other stories?**  
>We'll see. Writing fanfiction, for me at least, was a means to fill empty space in my day between classes when I was stuck on campus. A lot of my stories weren't really something I was particularly happy with, just a means to occupy time I probably should have spent studying. If any of you guys remember <em>I Want To Explore Castles With You<em>, that's a story that's been creeping in the back of my mind and wanting me to finish. We'll see how my repost of _Ballad_ goes before I think about reposting anything else, though.

If you have any other questions or just want to leave a comment for me, leave a review. I read all of them and if there's a question that I can answer I'll answer it! Hope you guys have been well. I'm a little anxious to be back but I think it'll be really exciting!


	2. White Wedding

**In this chapter:** Roxas and Hayner spy on 13 Hearts again…

**xxxxx**

**Ballad**  
><strong>Chapter Two<br>"White Wedding"  
><strong>

**xxxxx**

Roxas announced he was home by slamming the door shut and tearing off his coat. In all normal circumstances, he would have thrown his jacket on the floor and kicked it, but Namine was there standing in the doorway from the kitchen to the living room with a tray of tea.

"Um… hi," he muttered awkwardly. Namine smiled and walked into the den with the platter.

"Hello. We have company." Roxas grunted and hung his coat in the closet like a civilized person. He could hear laughter, Sora and Kairi's, coming from the other room.

Before he entered the rest of the apartment, Sora walked into the entrance hall with a wide grin. "Hey, Rox!" Sora hugged him briefly, he was always good for a bear hug, and then walked back towards the kitchen. "You're home earlier than I thought." Seeing his brother's smiling face reminded him immediately of Demyx Skönstedt at the supermarket earlier. The blonde was so exhausted he didn't even want to touch that topic with a long pole that night.

"It's been a long day."

Sora was wearing a pastel blue polo shirt with a sweater over his shoulder. His khaki pants had a small tea stain on his thigh. He knew his way around Roxas' kitchen better than he did, and Namine asked him to get crackers from the pantry.

"So, how was the show?" Namine called from the other room. The blonde boy sighed and walked into the living room, followed closely by Sora and the crackers.

"I don't think you'd want them playing the reception." Namine looked crestfallen, glancing down into her teacup.

"Oh… Any particular reason why?"

Roxas scratched the back of his head and tried to come up with the right words. He sat down on the comfy chair across the coffee table from Namine. "They're… loud. They're obnoxious. They're not the kind of people we'd want, you know?"

For the first time in a very long while, Namine frowned, and it killed Roxas. Her upper lip trembled slightly and hung out over bottom lip, whimpering slightly. "…But I really wanted a cover band."

Roxas glanced to Kairi and Sora sitting on the love seat between them. Both of their big, beady eyes were looking back at him questioningly. "But… baby, they're rude boys."

"I'm sure if we pay them enough they'll behave. How much did they offer to play for?"

"Uh…"

"You _did_ talk to them, right? At least?"

"Uh, yeah, well… Three hundred, was what the singer said," Roxas mumbled. Namine snapped.

"That's it? We had a budget of five hundred set for live music! Roxas, if that's what they're willing to pay for offer them three-fifty and we can use the money we saved with them to pay for the food!"

And of course, when you really got down to it, the matter would always be about the money. Kairi had decided to stay silent and not make eye contact with Roxas or her sister, but the look in her eyes told that she obviously sided with Namine. Sora looked at his brother and gave him a playful wink, foretelling him to look forward to losing many more battles in the future.

"Tifa told me they play at this after-office hours club called Traverse. Maybe you could check it out later this week?" Roxas didn't have any other choice other than to agree mindlessly.

"Yeah, okay."

**000ooo000ooo000**

So Roxas found himself sitting at classy oak bar of yet another fine establishment. Thankfully this place was at least clean… And had working light fixtures… and a not-sticky bathroom. He sighed and rested his elbows on the bar behind him. His always faithful copilot, Hayner, sat facing the bar and ordered his second drink of the night.

"Slow down, please," Roxas said, trying not to beg. "I don't want another repeat of Saturday…"

Hayner rolled his eyes and another bottle was placed in front of him. He turned back around and faced the rest of the club with Roxas. "Relax. It's cheap beer."

The club had a rustic, warm feeling to it. The floor was polished hardwood and there were actual tables and booths for people to sit at. The barstools were padded and weren't chained to the bar like at The Organization. Near the back of the club was a small stage set up with the drums and guitars already in place. This meant that Axel and his band were already here.

"So we're going to hear some good ol' American rock tonight is the rumor, yeah?" Hayner asked, taking a good long sip.

"Yeah. That's the rumor," Roxas confirmed. At the moment he sorely wished he was twenty-one because the only way he could enjoy another one of Axel's performances would be if he were drunk off his ass.

The club was reasonably filled for a Thursday night. Most of the patrons this time were older, the youngest couples looking to be in their late twenties, and promised no rough housing or moshing of any sort. That didn't stop Roxas' heart from preparing for another evening of obscene terror when the house lights dimmed.

The set lights illuminated the stage in a pink and blue haze. Without announcement, and without a crowd of screaming fans, Axel walked onstage. He looked tired, haggard, and a completely different creature than what Roxas had seen Saturday night.

His thick, red eyeliner was gone and replaced with eyeliner that was thin and black, it was only stage makeup and nothing else. The tattoos under his eyes were covered with thick layers of concealer, and you could almost make out the faintest outline of the little diamonds if you knew where to look. His lip ring was replaced with a flesh colored knob. If it weren't for the flamboyant red hair, Roxas would have to agree the front man looked almost… normal.

The pink haired drummer was still dressed like an eighties glitter rock super star, the blonde bassist still dressed in black, and the lead guitarist was still in an eye patch, which Roxas considered wasn't just for show anymore. Axel had donned the tightest gray shirt he had ever seen, along with skinny leather pants that hid nothing. Roxas tried his damndest to keep his eyes on something other than the front man. He turned to Hayner.

"What do you think? You'd almost think the band was professional," Roxas laughed.

Hayner took a sip from his bottle again and smirked. "Dude, check out that chick on the floor," he said, nodding towards the small group of people that were starting to form on the wooden dance floor. She was smiling and giggling and sipping constantly from the straw of her drink. "She's freaking hot. I'm gonna ask her to dance."

She was talking to a well built, stoic brunet man standing behind a sound station at the back of the floor. Were they together or simply flirting? Roxas didn't really want Hayner to find out the hard way. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Axel's voice.

"Mic check. One, two. Can you hear me? Leonhart?" The brunet man standing behind the sound booth nodded, turning knobs and adjusting levels. "It's good? Alright! Let's get started!" Axel shouted. The guitarist started with a guitar riff that everyone in the room knew. In that instant, everyone turned to the stage and cheered. "_Yeahyeahyeeeah_!"

The bar was starting to get busier with more patrons throwing money down for more shots and drinks. "_She was a fast machine! She kept her motor clean!_" By this point the audience was singing along with him, and everyone at the bar was so loud Roxas could barely hear Axel's voice, but he was shocked at how much he sounded like Brian Johnson. It was nothing like his voice from Saturday. "_She was the best damn woman that I had ever seen!_"

"Oh my GOD. They're amazing!" Hayner shouted over the noise. The bar was starting to get too crowded for comfort. They left their seats to get closer and to try finding a table.

"_She told me to come, but I was already there!_"

Roxas looked up at that moment to see Axel do a suggestive thrusting movement to his microphone stand. It got the women's attention and all the ladies in the bar whooped and hollered.

"'_Cause the walls start shaking! The earth was quaking! My mind was aching~ And we were makin' it and you—_"

At this point Axel snapped the microphone off its stand and pointed it towards the audience. The response was huge as everyone shouted back, "_Shook me ALL NIGHT LONG!_"

Axel smiled and brought his mic back to his lips and continued singing. Roxas couldn't help but smile. He loved this kind of music and the company he was in seemed to have the same kind of appreciation. Hayner nudged him in the shoulder and brought his attention back into the real world.

"Hey, man, there aren't any free tables." Roxas looked around them, and the entire sitting area was completely packed. There wasn't even a free chair to steal. Looking back to the bar, their seats they had claimed previously were gone. Roxas cursed softly under his breath, but Hayner just clapped him on the back. "Who cares about sitting, though!" he said happily. "The fun part is always on the dance floor!"

Like a black hole, Hayner was sucked into the floor and towards the pretty woman he had seen earlier. She was still talking to the man behind the sound booth, even though he was ignoring her and had headphones on. Roxas figured she probably had one Long Island iced tea too many.

_White Wedding_ was played, this time the singer was the bassist and Axel was playing a keyboard hidden in the shadows. Roxas tried to tilt his head to get a better look at him from around a pillar near the bar. Although the audience had been warm and happy during the first song, none of them were dancing. There were a few couples that were nodding their heads and moving their bodies to the beat, but it wasn't dancing.

After the song was finished the audience applauded and Axel stood back in the front. Roxas noted that he wasn't playing guitar tonight. "Okay, everyone." He eyed everybody in the audience and a smirked. "You're being too still. Don't you realize you're in the greatest city in the state?" The audience cheered and shouted. "The country?" The noise got louder, and it sounded more like cheering at a football game than at a show. "Alright, well show it to me, Bastionites! Lemme see you!"

The people started filling in the gap between the stage and the audience left on the dance floor. Axel laughed and started singing. "_It's early morning, the sun comes out. Last night was shaking, and pretty loud~_"

The girls that had come out to the club in packs started turning to each other and dancing. Roxas saw a man ask one of them to dance with him and she immediately latched onto him. He laughed at his fluke. Scanning the floor again, he tried to find Hayner to see if he was getting the same luck.

By chance, their eyes met and Hayner called him over with a large grin.

"Roxas, this is Rinoa. Rinoa, Roxas Strife," he introduced. Taking a closer look, she was a very gorgeous woman. Her almond eyes squinted as she smiled at him and she tucked her raven bangs behind her ear before holding out her hand. Roxas took it softly and shook it. "Rinoa here sometimes sings for the band."

"Just some Heart or Joan Jett and stuff, whenever they need me," she smiled. Holding up her drink, she added, "But I'm not working tonight."

Hayner gestured to the man behind the sound booth. "And this is Squall. He's working right now, though, so don't bug him." Roxas got a closer look at the man, and he was rather handsome. However, a large scar across his face gave him a ragged appearance and completely split his face. Roxas wondered how a person could come to get a scar that hideous. "He's their sound guy for all their shows."

"I hear you're trying to hire 13 Hearts for your wedding?" Rinoa asked, having to shout over the noise. Roxas nodded in reply. "That's so great! Most couples choose to play songs through an iPod shuffle or hire a string quartet…" she said, turning to the band, "…but this so much more unique, you think?"

"_Here I am! Rock you like a hurricane!_"

The reaction Axel got from the crowd was huge and Rinoa laughed. "Have you met the band yet?"

"I spoke with Axel a little bit," Roxas stated, shaking his head, "but I haven't met any of the others."

She instantly perked up. "Oh! Well, let me introduce you!" The singer pointed towards the guitarist. "That's Xigbar, the lead guitarist. He's amazing. He can play anything, no matter how fast. He lost his eye when he was twelve when a guitar string snapped and gouged it out." Roxas shuddered. "At least, that's _his_ story. You can't really trust Xigbar, he lies a lot. So does Luxord." She pointed to the older blonde bassist.

"Luxord used to be a black jack dealer in Vegas. He got sick rich because he _never_ lost. One too many patrons of the casino suggested he was cheating, and it was true. He was hiding cards under the table. _But_ what really got him in trouble was getting caught counting cards at a rival casino. He's a genius. He says he bought a bass on a whim with the money he gained, and didn't start learning how to play until after he lost his job."

She turned her focus on the drummer, who was starting to sweat. "And that's Marluxia. He's a sweetheart, really. I know his parents kicked him out of the house as soon as he turned eighteen. He lived with some friends until recently. Other than that I don't really know much about him, but he's always been really nice to me."

"What do you know about Axel?" Roxas asked.

Rinoa laughed and took another sip from her drink. "He's amazing. A free spirit. His aura's purple. What do you expect me to say? Didn't you say you already met him?"

"I _talked _with him, but I don't really know much about him."

"He's twenty-three. He's got an Associate's in communications. Sometimes performs solo in cafes. His favorite color is red."

"Those are just facts," Roxas stated. "Don't you have anything about his personality? Is he, like… aggressive or anything?"

She shook her head and smiled sweetly with a shrug. "Axel's just your average guy."

The blonde turned his attention back to the front man. They had finished the Scorpions song and moved on to Guns n' Roses.

"_She's got a smile that it seems to me, Reminds me of childhood memories where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky!_"

There was no way this man led an ordinary life. Roxas had run out of time to ask questions when Hayner placed his hand on her shoulder and asked her to dance. Rinoa nodded, accepting the offer charmingly and handed her drink off to the blonde. The brunet behind the sound booth glared at them as they got lost amongst the other people slow dancing in the crowd.

The drink in Roxas' hand was still relatively full. Not wanting to carry it while Hayner danced with her, and definitely not wanting to let it sit and go to waste or run the risk of getting spiked, he decided to have a little taste. He stuffed his left hand that had the obligatory under-21 X scratched on it in his coat pocket and downed what was left. The alcohol burned his throat and sunk down to the pit of his stomach. He finished with a nasty grimace and wondered _what_ he had just drank. He had Long Islands before, but the content in this one must have been really-

_Whoa_.

-Strong.

"I think it's safe to say that most of you have loosened up," Axel said, giving an affirming nod to the audience. "You guys are really great. The best crowd we've had in a while."

The audience cheered in response. The quickest way to a listener's heart is flattery; it gets you everywhere. Roxas even found himself cheering as well. He laughed and placed the empty glass on a banister and tried to move so he could see Axel's face better.

"We're going to continue our set with one of my personal favorites."

Axel moved to the keyboard again, this time a spotlight was aimed at him and a microphone was set up in front of it. He turned to his band, nodding his head three times before he pressed a chord on the keys, the rest of the band staying quiet. It started out as a solo.

"_Tonight… I'm gonna have myself a real good time…"_

And the only thing going through Roxas' head was _QueenQueenQueenQueenholyshitfuckitsQUEEN_.

There was a smile gracing the redhead's face. He looked like this was the happiest moment in his life. If he were to die, he'd be going to heaven to meet Hendrix, Johnny Cash, and the late great Freddie Mercury. Oh, God, he sounded just like Freddie Mercury. Roxas' eyes widened.

_FreddieFreddieFreddieFreddiefuckingMERCURY_.

"I feel ali~i~i~ive! And the world, it's turning inside out, yeah! I'm floating around in ecstasy…"

The piano stopped. Roxas blinked and made a note of it. The piano wasn't supposed to stop, but the people around him didn't seem to mind. They didn't care at all. Didn't they realize that this wasn't the way the song went?

"_So don't. Stop. Me. Now_."

Axel was still singing by himself, and this was usually the part of the song where the rest of the band would kick in. Although Roxas had his doubts that Luxord, Xigbar, and Marluxia could carry themselves as well as the real Queen actually could.

Axel kept singing, but stopped playing his keyboard. Instantly, Xigbar kicked in with a few chords that weren't in the original song. Axel grabbed the microphone that was next to his keyboard and abandoned his post, taking the center of the stage again. Brian May's solo didn't come until after the second half, but instead Xigbar was playing the piano's chords of his guitar. It was genius and sounded amazing! It was much stronger and heavier than the original version, and it suited a band like 13 Hearts. _Don't Stop Me Now_ was a pub song, and Axel's group was very much a rock club aesthetic. Roxas found himself respecting their decision to change a Queen song.

And he promptly forced himself to give a mental face slap. This song wasn't anything close to the original! It must be the alcohol thinking for him… That had to be the answer.

"Isn't this great?" Hayner shouted over the music. "This is like the best song I ever heard!"

Roxas glared at Hayner. Of course he would agree, Hayner liked anything loud and obnoxious like himself. Roxas reached his hand into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Eyeing the bar, he passed his friend a folded ten-dollar bill.

"Get me a drink, anything," he sighed.

Hayner frowned and glanced around. "Oh… Man, Roxas, you know I would if I could, but this place seems like they'd be a little strict serving to minors. I don't want any flak if someone finds out I was giving it to you…"

"No one has to know. I'll be in the bathroom, just give it to me there."

"_I'm gonna make a super sonic man outta you!_"

Without another word, Roxas turned on heel and marched to the corridor that led to the bathrooms. The blonde whistled along to the lyrics, still trying to keep his mind focused on _not_ liking this music. This was 13 Hearts he was listening to. The same band that started to sing a song about raping his mother in front of an entire audience of impressionable teenagers.

On this night Roxas encountered something he never thought he'd have to worry about. A line in the men's bathroom. Not really needing to go, and in fact just waiting for Hayner to bring him his drink, he took a seat on a stool next to a mirror and leant his head back on the tile wall.

The crowd was singing along, and before Hayner came back it ended with the music falling out and Axel crooning along until the end. Roxas could almost imagine the greasy redhead taking a bow, and doing so the audience roared. Some of the men waiting in line smiled and nodded in approval, and the blonde swore the man sitting in the stall was applauding as well. The walls of the bathroom sanctuary muffled what Axel was saying after the song. The crowd seemed to react just the same, hooting and hollering as if God had just spoken to them.

The heavy oak door into the bathroom opened and Roxas' knight in shining armor entered holding a glass bottle of dark stout beer. The blonde noticed that the seal was already broken off and lip marks stained the brown glass. He glared at his friend, who just shrugged nervously.

"I didn't want to seem suspicious or nothing, so I just took a small sip. I don't even know if you like this kind." Roxas shrugged and kissed the bottle, knocking his head back and drinking without really tasting. The men around them didn't seem to mind, and it wasn't like Roxas was a teenager. His twenty-first birthday was only a month away. To stay safe, he kept his hand with the 'X' in his pocket at all times.

"The band was pretty hot tonight, don't you think?" Hayner asked, stepping in line to use the urinals. Roxas noted that more people were started to come in. The line was even starting to spread out the door. It was getting ridiculous. The blonde didn't want to talk to his friend through a wall of people, so he stood and walked towards the door.

"Hayner, I'm leavin'," Roxas said, and his friend could hear it in his tone that he was trying really hard not to drawl out his words. He watched nervously from his point in line and nodded.

"Be careful. I'll be done in a minute. A- And don't drink that whole thing!" he shouted as Roxas was kicking back another shot as the door slammed shut.

Roxas stumbled out of the bathroom and back onto the dance floor that was awkwardly vacant. The stage was clear and void of annoying singers and creepy looking musicians. There were some girls sitting on the edge of the stage with their drinks chatting, so Roxas meandered over and took a quiet spot near the edge for himself. Although tipsy he made sure to keep the hallway to the bathroom in view so he could see Hayner when he came out.

Taking one last shot from his bottle before he realized half was already gone, he sat the glass down and rested his hands on the stage behind him. The stage seemed so boring and dull with an act like 13 Hearts onstage. Despite Axel's true colors not matching Roxas' tastes, he would be lying to himself if he didn't think that Axel was quite the leading man.

Shifting his hands into a more comfortable position, Roxas noted his hand touched a piece of paper. He picked it up and looked at it. Typed clearly and in large letters was every song they had played so far for their first act. The second act showed that they would be playing more Crue and Aerosmith, along with some Beastie Boys, which had surprised Roxas. He realized with an amplified drunken look of excitement that he had a setlist in his hands. The world of rock and roll spun around this one sheet of paper, at least for tonight and in this particular establishment. Roxas had always heard rumors of people who liked to steal set lists, but he had never been to a show before where the group would just let it lay sitting on a small stage while they were gone.

Sneakily, Roxas folded the paper quickly and stuffed it in his jacket pocket. A waitress walked past him holding a tray of drinks. She disappeared through a door next to the stage. A few moments later she left with the tray tucked under her arm. She paused for a moment as she was looking at Roxas and frowned.

"Hey, kid, are you okay?" she asked, tilting her hips and she bent down to get a better look at him. Roxas looked up in her eyes and caught her scrutinizing gaze. He knew he wasn't a kid, but she must have seen the giant X on his hand and got suspicious. Roxas didn't see any other people there who were under twenty-one, and he was starting to feel like an outcast.

"I'm fine," he tried to assure her, but the stench on his breath spoke otherwise.

Her frown deepened and she moved the tray in front of her. "Have you been drinking?"

The door next to the stage opened again. Roxas shook his head and smirked lazily. He had a difficult time remaining serious while his head was spinning. He couldn't even sit up straight. "No, I'm just feeling a little sick. I promise, I haven't been-"

"_There_ you are!" A person stepped between Roxas and the waitress and hoisted Roxas up by his arm. "We were waiting for you in the back! You should've asked for us!" The blonde looked up and saw a smear of red with a splash of green swimming in blackness. It was Axel. He turned to the waitress and grinned handsomely. "Thank you very much for finding my friend. He gets disoriented so easily. Would you mind sending some water back here when you get a chance?"

Axel kept a firm grip on Roxas' arm as he opened the door again, guiding him inside. Once the door was shut, he was led down a dimly lit hallway into a room without a door. 13 Hearts stood inside, all eyes turning to Roxas as soon as he was inside.

"Whoa," the guitarist, Xigbar, said with a smirk. "He's trashed."

Luxord stood in the corner, not saying a word. Roxas heard the drummer gasp before he came into sight, bending down slightly to get a better look at him. "Jeez, the poor thing, look at him," He grabbed Roxas' chin and used his hand to push back the blonde bangs. "His cheeks are bright red! Who gave you alcohol?"

Roxas smacked the hand away and glared. "Stop it." He turned to Axel, or at least tried to. He ended up having to grip on Marluxia's shirtsleeve for support. "What the fuck are you trying to do?"

Axel rolled his eyes, holding his hand up and revealing Roxas' half-finished bottle of beer. "What the fuck is this? Not that I mind you drinking or anything, I was doing a lot worse at your age," he stated. Roxas glared at him. So Axel was the type of person who endorses underage drinking. Interesting. "…But you can't do that here. Traverse is super strict about stuff like that."

Axel tossed the bottle to Luxord, who let a drop or two fall on his tongue before placing it on the folding table that was set up against the wall. "Not terrible... I'm impressed. He must have some taste after all."

"Did you take me here so I could get… be made fun of?" Roxas asked, the words becoming more difficult to find.

Axel took Roxas' shoulders in his hands and pushed him back slightly, making sure he wouldn't fall. When Roxas felt the back of his knees collide with a chair, he collapsed into it and sulked. "Of course not, Strife, we're not like that."

Roxas sometimes had a hard time imagining that Axel actually knew his name. It crashed back down on him quickly that the reason why he was here tonight was to negotiate. "That's right," Roxas muttered, shaking a finger and eventually pointing at Axel. "I need to talk to you. My wife –my fiancée-, you know, she really, _really_ wants you guys to play at our wedding."

Axel frowned slightly, looking over to his band. Luxord shrugged noncommitaly, Marluxia nodded an affirmative, and Xigbar shook his head. "No way," Xigbar stated. "We're, like, booked solid for weeks."

"But the wedding isn't until December!" Roxas countered, turning his dizzy gaze to the guitarist for a brief moment. "And you guys… You guys are really good. I mean, I still don't like the true music you play, but my fiancée really likes you. In the end, this is her day more than mine. I'd do anything to make her happy."

There wasn't a reply from the band and Roxas bowed his head slightly, expecting rejection. "He does sound sincere," Luxord commented. This got a dissatisfied groan from Xigbar, and the blond bassist shot him an angry look. "The lady spends a lifetime wishing for the perfect wedding, years finding the perfect man, and months planning the perfect day. If she wants us to play that much…" Luxord turned to look at Axel, "…Then I think we should play the show."

Marluxia chose to put in his two cents. "It's just one night. And we could use the money. Weddings are always a blast, anyway!"

Axel gave Roxas a hard look, his hand tapping against his lips as the cogs worked overtime trying to come up with the proper solution. "Anyone can sound sincere," Axel said, "but it takes someone special to act on it."

Roxas looked up into Axel's emerald green eyes. "What's the catch?"

"We'll play your wedding," Axel confirmed. "But since you're obviously going to give us a hard time, we need a favor. You see, our normal stagehand is leaving us soon to go back to college. We need someone who can unload the trailer, set up the drums, and maybe help Squall with the sound."

"I can't do all that," Roxas slurred, an angry glower growing across his brows.

Like a scale, Axel's red brows rose while Roxas' skulked. "Really? You won't do this small favor for us no matter how much your girl wants us?" He took Roxas' heated silence as a yes. "Don't worry so much. We'll teach you."

There was a knock on the side of the door, and a man stood in the hall looking at them coughed loudly. "You're back on in three minutes, guys. Time to go."

"Wait a second, Axe. How will he remember anything of this? He's smashed," Xigbar reminded.

"Right you are, my good man," Axel said with a grin. He reached into Roxas' back pocket.

The blonde's eyes widened and he pushed Axel away. "What're you doing?!"

"Relax, fanboy, I'm just giving you a reminder," he muttered, taking Roxas' silver cell phone from his pocket. Reaching into his own back pocket, Axel pulled out his red cell phone. On Roxas' phone he sent himself a text message, and soon his own phone buzzed and lit up with Roxas' number. "I'll send you a reminder in case you forget," he told Roxas, who's focus seemed to be more on the floor than the singer. The poor blond really was too drunk to remember anything right now. The most sinister idea crept into Axel's mind. "Hey, Marly, do you still have that silver sharpie."

Finding the marker on the vanity, the pink haired man handed it over to the frontman. "It looks like he's crashing," he commented, noticing how Roxas was yawning and looking like he could fall asleep in the green room right at that moment.

"Good," Axel stated, uncapping the marker and turning Roxas' head into a decent angle. "Find whoever brought this guy here, okay?"

**000ooo000ooo000ooo000**

Roxas woke up the next morning stuck to the floor of Hayner's kitchen. Dried spit stuck his cheek to the vinyl wood and it smarted when he peeled himself up. The morning sunlight dripping in from the crooked blinds immediately greeted Roxas with a hangover.

"…Whu?" he moaned, rubbing his eye. He never remembered coming back to Hayner's place at all. Using the counter for support, he pulled himself to his feet and leaned on the wall to guide him to Hayner's bedroom. He saw his friend sprawled out across the bed, still snoring loudly.

Roxas rubbed his cheek and tried to scratch off some of the dried spit. He walked into Hayner's bathroom and turned the water on, splashing some on his cheek and rubbing the spit away. When he looked in the mirror to check his reflection, he saw something much worse than crusty spit.

"_**AXEL!**_"

_**xxx**_

Hey! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Over the past few weeks I've been going over the story in my free time and making small edits when they're needed. So when I originally wrote Ballad I had one big document that I was keeping everything in. Eventually, with my computer being as old as it was, it couldn't handle a word document that big and I had to start keeping the big file open as reference and writing individual chapters in their own document (which was easier when it came to sending it off to my beta anyway). I'm about halfway through my personal beta-read and I keep wondering... which version of the story am I reading? I've gone through and edited the story so many times but I keep finding errors and I'm wondering if I'm reading the beta'd chapters or am I reading the original files that I wrote years ago?

I was happy to get reviews from old readers! I'm glad you're looking forward to rereading the story again. Please keep posting reviews, but if you remember what happens please avoid posting spoilers!

And all you new readers please review too, and fav or follow the story! The new traffic stats page is really cool and it's fun seeing how many people in different countries are reading my story. This story is a real slow burn but we'll get to some really fun stuff soon!


	3. Double Dare Ya

**In this chapter: **Roxas discovers he has a skin allergy.

**xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**

**Ballad  
>Chapter Three<br>"Double Dare Ya"  
><strong>

**xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**

Getting Hayner to shut up was half the battle. Roxas stayed in the bathroom and refused to open the door. "Rox? C'mon, open up! I gotta piss!" The blonde was beginning to hate his friend for not owning any clean towels. He refused to use the pile of dirty ones on the floor. He was using soaked toilet paper trying to get the words scrawled on his face off.

"_CHECK YOUR PHONE_"

And written across his cheeks in large silver letters was the frontman's name. He was able to get the metallic glitter from the ink staining his skin, but a dull gray still remained. Roxas realized that he wouldn't be able to get the marker off his skin without help.

The blonde opened the door and Hayner brushed past him without a second glance. Roxas stared at him as he walked to the toilet and raised the lid. His friend stopped short of pulling down his fly before he turned to Roxas.

"Dude, can you, like, leeea-AH! Dude! Your face!"

Hayner suddenly forgot needing to pee and turned to his friend. His skin was raw from where he was trying to get the ink off, but after letting it sit on his porous face all night it was almost impossible with just water.

"Just let me use your computer to find out how to get this off," Roxas sighed, pointing to his right cheek with the letters 'AX' marked on it.

Hayner walked to his book bag and pulled out his old PC laptop. A quick trip through a search engine yielded interesting results.

"Toothpaste?"

"That's what it said. Rub your face in toothpaste, I guess wait a few minutes, and it comes right off."

Roxas sighed, the only toothpaste Hayner owning being a bright red tube of cinnamon burst with flavor strips. Thousand of results on Google couldn't be wrong, he tried to reason. Uncapping the tube, he squeezed out a good sized amount onto the palm of his hand. Rubbing his fingers into the goo, he started to rub the toothpaste on his cheeks where Axel had written his name. It looked like was rubbing red shaving cream all over his face.

"Oh, this is hilarious!" Hayner giggled, watching from the sidelines as Roxas started rubbing the paste in with his fingernails. The blonde looked to the side and saw his friend holding up his cell phone, obviously using the camera attached to it.

"Hey! Stop that!" Roxas growled, not wanting to touch the phone with his sticky fingers. He turned back to the mirror and started rubbing more toothpaste onto his forehead. He decided to let it sit and… soak up the ink or whatever the paste was supposed to do. While he was at it he scrubbed it over the 'X' on the back of his hand. In the meantime, he washed his palms off and walked to the den where his jacket laid sprawled on the couch.

He reached into his inside pocket and pulled out his cell phone. With it, he also pulled out a slip of paper. Unfolding it, he noted it was scribbled almost intelligibly, but he could make out '_Shook Me_' and '_Don't Stop Me_'. A set list?

The light on his cell was flashing red. Upon opening it, he apparently had a missed message from an unknown number. Deciding to head the silver sharpie warning, Roxas listened to it.

"Hey, Mister Strife, it's Axel," the front man started in his message. "The one you hate." Roxas frowned. "I was just calling to remind you that you totally agreed to be our roadie for the next couple of weeks." At this new and interesting development, Roxas raised a brow. "And in case you don't believe me, here's you."

There were sounds of people talking that Roxas didn't recognize. Finally, there was the sound of labored breathing coming in and arduous laughing. The blonde put on a pathetic face. _Was I really that drunk last night?_

"I get to be a roadie! Just like the Stones!" he heard himself say with more giggling. The sound of his own voice was foreign and made him want to cringe.

Eventually, the phone was handed back to Axel at some point, who continued, "Yes, like the Rolling Stones. Good job, uh…" Roxas could almost visualize the redhead turning to his bandmates and saying, "I don't even really know his name." Axel coughed, returning his attention back to Roxas' cell phone. "Whatever. We have a legal and binding verbal contract, plus we need the help, so there's no backing out of this one. Check your pics. We have to get back on stage. Ciao!"

To close the message there was an annoyingly loud lip smack from Axel before the message ended. Roxas had half the mind to call Axel back immediately. It was only ten in the morning and the rock star was probably still sleeping with his hoards of groupies. However, his voicemail went straight into a new message. The cold-hearted computer voice told Roxas it came in at one in the morning.

"Hey baby, it's me." It was Namine. Roxas instantly freaked. He was supposed to come home last night. "I'm just… wondering where you are. You have classes tomorrow, and I'm sort of worried about you…" Roxas loved the sound of her voice. Not only was she sweet and caring, she sounded totally adorable. "But I want you to be safe, just in case you were out, ah, drinking…" Namine didn't drink, and didn't think too highly of Roxas for doing so. She usually skirted around the topic. "Call me when you get this. I love you."

Her message ended, and there was nothing new after that, so Roxas turned his attention back to what Axel said. He checked the pictures folder on his phone. First, there was an image of the glitter rock man, eyes crossed and lips in a puckered fish position. Roxas had to dig deep into the recesses of his mind to pull out his name. _Marty? Mason?_ No, it was something more complicated than that. Luckily, there was a caption under the picture. 'Marly being stupid.' That's right, _Marluxia_.

There was another picture of the man with the eye patch. With a name like Xigbar he was hard to forget. The picture was of him flipping off the small phone camera and grimacing angrily. Getting a closer look at his face, Roxas noticed a bunch of scars, most noticeably one traveling up from his jaw and almost touching his eye without the patch. The blonde wondered sardonically if this was another accident from a broken string. Underneath the picture was the caption, 'Xiggy sez fuck you!' How charming.

Next was a picture of Luxord, the bassist, as Roxas recalled. There was an air of maturity around him. His hair was neatly trimmed and his goatee almost painstakingly symmetrical. Roxas had a hard time understanding why a young man so upstanding in the past would stoop into playing for a punk band as feral as 13 Hearts. Out of all the members, he was the only one who didn't fit the part. Roxas wondered if there was something more to his story than what Rinoa had told him at the bar. Along with the picture came another caption, 'Lux pretending to be serious.'

There were many pictures after that of Axel. Him smirking, frowning, giving a toothy smile, giving gang symbols with his hands, and even one of him upside down. Roxas was almost scared about what else they put his poor phone through. There were lots of pictures following of himself, which caught the blonde off guard. In the images he was smiling and laughing, not seeming to care that his face was covered with messy silver sharpie. On one particular picture of him and Axel sharing a frame and smiling there was a caption 'lol just like old friends?' Roxas frowned and snapped his phone shut.

A flush from the toilet announced Hayner's arrival into the living room. "Hey, it's been a few minutes. You should probably clean that stuff off…"

Roxas had almost forgotten about he tooth paste spread all over his face. He walked back into the bathroom and washed it all off. Still no sign of clean towels, Roxas dried his face and scrubbed away some of the more resilient goo with the paper towels he had bought earlier that week. One look in the mirror proved satisfactory, as the silver sharpie was actually gone without a trace. However, his face was bright red, but Roxas guessed it was from scrubbing it with Hayner's stupid one-ply paper towels he almost died for.

Checking his cell phone for the time, it was already past ten thirty, and he had classes at noon. "Hey man, I need to head out. I still have to go back to my place and change clothes," Roxas sighed, not ready to face the day with a hangover. "Do you have sunglasses I can borrow?"

Hayner entrusted Roxas with his trusty pair of aviators, along with giving him a lecture about how these were 'honest-to-GOD' aviator sunglasses like the pilots wear when flying a plane and that if he broke them, scratched, or so help him, _breathed_ on them wrong then he was in for a world of shit.

Roxas made it outside and started heading towards the tram stop. Since he was guessing that they took a cab home last night that meant his car was still parked in the lot for the bar. The easiest way to get back would be to take the tram from Hayner's back to the coffee house, and walk home from there. As luck would have it, turning the corner to get to the stop, the tram flew past him.

The blonde clinched his eyes shut and cursed under his breath, not ready for a chase this early. Quickly turning on heel, Roxas sprinted after the tram and was softly shouting 'Stop!' under his breath, as if the driver could hear him. Luckily, the tram had to stop at a red light, so it opened its front door to let Roxas on board.

As Roxas dropped his fare into the box, the driver confronted him. "You know I'm not supposed to… Strife?"

Roxas would have continued to the back of the crowded tram if the driver hadn't stopped him. The blonde's mind was reeling over who he could possibly know that was a tram driver. He usually didn't associate with those kinds of people. When he turned to look at the driver, he had an odd sense of déjà vu.

Bright red hair pulled back into a ponytail. Piercing green eyes. It was the same, sarcastic tram driver that had driven Roxas to Hayner's apartment last weekend. The one that told him to 'Take a picture.'

"Axel?"

It was also than damned redhead, complete with the makeup covering his facial tattoos and a skin colored gauged knob in his lip.

"What happened to your face?" he asked warily. Roxas assumed he was asking about his flushed cheeks after trying to scrub the permanent marker away. He probably lost a few layers of skin making sure that his face was immaculate before leaving Hayner's apartment.

"Shut up," he snapped, moving to make his way to the back of the bus.

His hasty escape was thwarted when the redheaded driver called to him again. "No, I mean, sorry about the message and everything, but your face is really red. It's like a rash."

Roxas reached to touch his face, and it did feel a bit more sensitive than it should be. The blonde decided to take no heed, adjusting his sunglasses and making his way to the back. The tram was so packed that there wasn't room for him, and he was forced to stay close to the front.

The chatter that filled the tram did little to ease the awkward silence between the student and the driver. At a red light, Axel tapped the steering wheel to whatever no-doubt insidious punk song that was traveling through his head. Roxas had taken a keen liking to glaring daggers into the back of the redhead's skull. The uncomfortable looks that the other patrons were giving him no doubt proved that there was a rash on his face.

"So…" Axel hummed, turning slightly to Roxas to make sure he had his attention, "…did you get my message?"

"Yes I got your fucking message," Roxas bit back instantly. "What the hell was that shit?"

"Oi, language. There're kids here."

Roxas glanced behind him and noticed that there were some infants riding the bus with their mothers, and the women no doubt glaring at him even worse. Normally he got friendly looks from people with his looks, but with his face scarred with a tinge of red, they no doubt thought he was a freak like other people who normally rode the bus.

"Fine," Roxas sighed. "What the _heck_ was that _stuff_?"

"I just wanted to make sure you didn't forget our little deal," Axel replied, starting to drive again once the light turned green.

"I was drunk. I don't think that should count as a deal."

"Well, how about this. You help us until your wedding. You only have to sacrifice one or two evenings a week until the big day. Then we'll play your show."

"And what if I don't want to?" the blonde growled. Like hell he would ever go to one of 13 Hearts shows again, much less voluntarily to _help_ them. Every time he went to their sets, it seemed, something terrible would happen. "You can't make me help you."

"Well, you're right, we can't," Axel succumbed. "But you can't make us play either. Isn't this what the soon-to-be Missus wants?"

"Isn't there any other way?"

Axel sighed, pausing at a stop sign and looking both ways three times before continuing. "Well, I guess I can bend the rules a little. We'll play for twelve hundred and we definitely get pimping rights for our album."

"But you said you played for six hundred! Doubling the price? That's insane!" Roxas cried. The budget for the ceremony was already being spread paper-thin. Namine could barely afford pea shoots in the food. They couldn't throw away another six hundred dollars just for Roxas' comfort.

"That's business, kid. We _need_ a roadie. Think 'bartering.' We scratch your back if you scratch ours." Axel took a moment to glance back at Roxas quickly before returning his eyes to the road.

Roxas sighed and rested his head back against the window. The road was so bumpy that it ended up just smacking his head against the glass and making his hangover worse. This whole situation was needlessly complicated. If 13 Hearts would just play his wedding like a normal band then he wouldn't have to sacrifice his precious free time. However, Namine really, really wanted them to play. In the end, it wasn't his choice at all.

"Okay, fine, whatever. I'll be your roadie."

"Great! We're playing tonight at this little place called the Commons. You've probably been there." The Commons was a popular hangout for a lot of college students. It was actually a part of the student union and owned by the university, but Roxas had never been there longer than a few minutes in the afternoon to grab lunch in the food court. The Commons was underground in the basement and always felt a little foreboding. "We're playing to an older audience than last Saturday. I think you'll enjoy yourself this time."

"Whatever, I don't care," Roxas sighed, just wanting to get the night over with already. "What time should I show up?"

"At seven," Axel answered sweetly. "There really isn't a 'doors open' time, but the show starts at eight. We should be wrapped up by ten-thirty or eleven."

Roxas didn't understand how Axel could handle driving on a bus for hours a day and then getting off his shift in time to play a three hour show. The automated voice on the tram announced his stop on the corner near the coffee shop, and he stood and prepared to leave.

"I know it seems like we're not really giving you a choice here, Strife, but… I just wanted to tell you 'thanks'. A lot of guys wouldn't go through this shit just for a lousy cover band." Roxas turned to the redhead, who was giving him a genuine smile as he held the lever that held open the door. At that moment, Roxas thought that maybe he understood why Axel seemed to be so respected. Even to Roxas he certainly was an extroverted person.

"Okay," Roxas mumbled, nodding. "I'll be there at seven…" He stepped off the tram and stood for a moment. _Remember, he's the one that wrote all over your face with a silver sharpie._ But for some reason that issue seemed trivial. The tram breaks hissed as it started to lurch forward, and quickly Roxas turned and knocked on the door.

Axel stopped the tram before it had a chance to go anywhere and opened the door again. "What's up? You forget something?"

"Roxas."

"Huh?"

"My name… is Roxas. Roxas Strife."

Axel raised a meticulously dyed red eyebrow and smirked. "That's the most hardcore name I have ever heard. Are you sure you weren't supposed to be a rock star instead of me?"

"I think Axel's a very rock star name," Roxas stated.

The redhead rolled his eyes and turned his head towards the windshield. "Whatever," he laughed. "That's cool, though," he said with that same smile. "I'll see you tonight, okay?"

Roxas nodded, realizing he was holding up the tram and the people on it were starting to stare again. "Yeah," he nodded. "See you tonight." He jumped off the tram one last time and it drove off noisily and around the corner.

Reaching into his back pocket once again, Roxas checked the time on his phone and confirmed what he feared. He only had enough thirty minutes to get to class. The apartment that he and Namine shared was a plush, furnished room with a nice view of downtown. It was centered just ten blocks away from campus. If Roxas were to sprint, getting to class wouldn't be a problem, however it would come at the cost of not showering off the stink and filth from last night.

Roxas was at an impasse. Namine had called worried about him, but she was probably in classes right now, too. She had an appointment with Tifa at four, so her day was going to be just as busy as his. Forgetting about school and going up to his apartment would be a dream, but he couldn't just _skip_. He could never understand clearly why Hayner could skip classes so liberally. If the blonde were to miss one day of classes he would be SOL and without a hope of passing, and the only way he could afford such a nice apartment for him and his fiancé was because his father was paying for it, as long as good grades came in. Yes, Roxas was a rare breed. He had never missed a class in his entire life. So, sprinting it was.

**000ooo000ooo000ooo000ooo000**

After a long afternoon of sitting through lectures, and one pop quiz (which Roxas used as a good excuse for skipping basic hygiene for class), the tuckered blonde unlocked the door to his apartment and sauntered inside.

Before he even had a chance to take his coat off, Namine called out to him from the living room. "Roxas! Company!" Not even waiting for a reply, his fiancée went right back to talking about wedding matters. Roxas assumed she was talking to Tifa, and turning the corner into the den, he was right. While Namine kept her head in her books, Tifa looked to Roxas and smiled.

The busty raven-haired woman sat on the couch, where Roxas was hoping to take a nap, wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with a black sweater vest pulled over it. She had the body of a battle axe and wasn't afraid to show it off, completing her look with a tight pencil skirt, but stare too long and you'd get cut. Fortunately, Roxas was blessed with the good grace and the muzzy attentiveness of a kindergartener and didn't notice.

He trumped through the living room, muttering something about going to bed early and heading towards his room, before Tifa stopped him. "Oh, Roxas, I just wanted to thank you so much for helping out with the show."

The blonde paused, almost forgetting everything about that night. He almost wanted to question how Tifa could possibly know, then he remembered she and the red headed punk were cousins. "Yeah… No problem." Roxas checked his phone and discovered it was almost six. If he took a shower and left immediately, he might arrive to the set on time.

"It really means a lot to Axel. His band is his life, and with their last roadie leaving for school, they can use all the help they can get."

With a deep sigh, Roxas kicked all hopes for a nap out the window. Stepping into the bathroom, he took one look at his reflection in the mirror and bit back a scream. His face was red, worse than Axel's fire engine red hair. He touched his cheek and it stung like a sunburn. Most of the red was centered around his forehead and cheeks, but he noticed that some pimples that plagued his normally flawless skin were popping up on his forehead and chin. He stepped into the shower and hoped that some of Namine's skin soothing lavender lotion would help. While it helped relieve the burn, it wasn't enough to make the red go away.

There was absolutely no way Roxas was going to go to a show with a red, pimply face. Axel may have been a little forgiving, since it was all his fault, but the rest of the band members would probably have a field day if they saw his warped skin. No matter how he adjusted his bangs, he couldn't cover up the red, and his cheeks were impossible to hide. Using a ski mask was right out, and Roxas could only think of one logical, albeit terrifying solution.

He could hear Namine still talking with Tifa in the living room, laughing about something. He hoped she wouldn't be bad if he interrupted."Namine!" Roxas shouted. She called back asking what he wanted, and for modesty's sake Roxas wrapped a towel around his waste. "Can I use some of your makeup?"

There was a short pause before her voice replied, "…Why?" Namine walked into the bedroom and the bathroom attached to it. Without knocking she opened up the door and gasped when she saw her boyfriend's face. When he had come home she was so busy with her wedding planner meeting that she didn't look at him. "What happened?" she cried, taking two steps towards him and touching his face gingerly.

"Long story. Allergic reaction or something." To tell Namine about the toothpaste escapade would mean to tell her about the silver sharpie message Axel wrote across his face. Roxas knew that if Namine knew what Axel did to him she'd treat him like a bully. She'd probably say something along the lines of '_You shouldn't hang out with that Axel fellow. He's a bad seed_.' Like his mother.

"You poor baby." She pouted and gave him a quick peck on the cheeks. "Let me see what I have…" She opened the drawer next to the sink, the one that all girls have the men are afraid to open. It was filled with perfumes and colored powders and _waxes_. Namine pulled out a small bottle of skin colored liquid and dabbed some on a foam swab. "Okay, this might feel a little uncomfortable…"

The sensation of the makeup being applied made Roxas' stomach queasy. It was like a layer of second skin being applied. It was cold, runny, and felt sticky. The foundation made the fine hairs on his face stick down. "Stop stretching your face," Namine said, trying to smear the stuff over his cheeks. "I'm going to have to put more on than normal to make this go away. This is a really bad reaction," she muttered. "I didn't know you had any food allergies. What did you and Hayner do last night?"

"Well, we went to the show," Roxas said, trying to remember everything. Last night was such a blur. "We saw Axel's band perform some covers, and they're actually really good at that." Although he didn't remember much about talking with Axel backstage, as the pictures on his phone suggested he had done, he forced himself to come up with a believable story. "We… ah, talked with Axel, I guess. He said he would play the reception, but his band needs a little help… roadie stuff, I guess… so I, uh, volunteered."

Namine had a mixed expression on her face. "Wow," she stated with a strange smirk. "That's… oddly helpful of you Roxas."

"You think?"

"I like it. It's good to help other people, you know. I thought you didn't like that band…" She took out a small brush and started sweeping in the foundation even deeper. "But it's wonderful that you got them to play. Thank you so much for going to see them again." She placed the bottle with the foundation on the counter. "Finished." Roxas turned to look at his reflection in the partially fogged mirror. There was almost no trace of the rash anymore. Namine was a miracle worker with makeup. It was probably why her face was always so flawless.

Roxas smiled and bent down, briefly brushing his fiancé's perfect lips. She gave him a hug, and they stayed like that for a moment in the bathroom. "I'm so glad things seem to be going together," she said complacently. "I'm looking forward to this. It's going to be great." She started giggling as her hands crept slightly lower to the edge of the towel and pulling it down. "How much time do you have before the show."

"Tifa's right outside," Roxas murmured with a smirk, grabbing his towel and pecking her on the forehead. "But not _that_ much time, I'm afraid." He followed her out of the bathroom and walked past to the closet. "I don't even know what to wear to a show," he grumbled. The first time he went to a 13 Hearts show was caught off guard, the second time he was dressed for a nice club, but this third time was going to be different.

"Oh, jeans and a tee and you'll be fine," Namine said with a smile, leaving the room to return to Tifa after shutting the door.

Roxas had an old pair of painter's pants that he wore when they first moved into the apartment. The walls were painted an eggshell color when they first arrived, and Namine wanted everything painted perfect, pristine white. The pants were still in good condition, save for a few white paint stains. As for a shirt, he didn't own many t-shirts that weren't used for working out. The best he could come up with was a black button-up collared shirt.

After the clothes were thrown on, Roxas rushed back into the bathroom to finish dolling up his hair. While Namine focused more on makeup, her hair was usually nothing more than a flat iron and some hairspray on humid days. Roxas' face was naturally clear if he used the right soap, and the occasional inescapable zit rarely got the best of him. It was his hair that Roxas really took pride in. His hair was a perfectly sculpted crow's nest, every spike and every curve in just the right place. Roxas had his own drawer filled with putties and hair creams to make sure that once it was set, it would last the entire evening. With fifteen minutes to spare, he sprayed some cologne across his chest so his shower wouldn't be a waste.

"I'm heading out," he sighed as he grabbed his coat again and leaving. Namine gave him a brief goodbye and Tifa thanked him graciously once again.

Roxas had never gone to the Commons before. While Axel told him to meet there, he didn't tell him where exactly to meet in the building. It was a ten minute walk to the building, and Roxas picked up the pace to get to the student union before seven. The stairwell to get downstairs was easily marked and there were a few students already heading down.

The Commons was a dimly lit area, and the first thing Roxas noticed was a pool bar. Some students were playing games and ordering from a bar in the back corner. There was even a small arcade in the farthest corner with air hockey and Galaga. Most of the lights were bright, rainbow color spotlights that would change location every few seconds. Near the arcade was a small stage, possibly smaller than the one 13 Hearts performed on last night, with a drum set already set up.

Roxas headed towards the stage and looked for a familiar face. Most of the people already standing near the stage looked like students who had just come from class, wearing normal clothes. They didn't look like the punk kids from the Organization or the older, dressed-to-impress socialites from Traverse. The blonde was starting to wonder just how many different audiences 13 Hearts catered to.

"Hey, Roxas!" He turned around and saw Axel walking up to him quickly from the opposite side of the building. His stage clothes this time were fitted gray pants with cargo pockets and a long-sleeved green shirt. The shirt was very low-cut and a small lion was stitched on the front with gold thread. "You're awfully punctual." He turned and pointed a spot on the wall next to the pool tables. "We're over there."

Standing on his tiptoes, Roxas was able to just barely make out the top of Marluxia's pink hair. When he and Axel approached them, Roxas noticed that all of their equipment, save for Marluxia's drum set, were standing with them. "Where's your room?" Roxas asked.

Axel shook his head and rested his back against the wall. "We don't get one, so we pretty much have to watch our stuff until our set." It was even more difficult to imagine a band that had brought two completely different audiences to the floor having to stand and wait to play a set.

"What do you want me to do for now?" Roxas asked.

Axel pointed to a box and folded card table leaning against the wall. "Since you're here, you can man the merch booth." He grabbed the table, and Roxas helped him out by lifting the cardboard box. He followed Axel to an empty area near the exit and placed the box on the table once it was assembled. "Okay," Axel began, opening the box and pulling out a small safe. "This is the money box. Guard it with your fucking life. There should be enough money for change. Inside the box is our CDs. They're ten dollars a pop, no exceptions."

The redhead crossed his arms and smiled as Roxas took the CDs out of the box and tried to make a nice display out of them. "Seriously, Roxas, thank you so much for doing this."

"You don't have to thank me," Roxas sighed. "Like you said, I don't really have a choice here."

The smile of Axel's face disappeared for a moment before returning to its former glory. "Right," he said, nodding absently. "I guess this is it for today. Just hang out around here, enjoy the music, and be sure to tell people before they leave to buy a CD."

Roxas looked at the cover of their debut album. It was a black background with a silver zippo lighter, the number 13 embossed against its silver surface. The flame coming from the lighter was in the shape of a heart. Roxas glanced up and noticed Axel was still standing there.

"Is there anything else?"

The front man shook his head. "No, that ought to do it. We're not really expecting a rough crowd, but if you need any help just holler."

In a flash, Axel's red spikes were lost in a crowd of students starting to crowd closer to the stage. Roxas took another moment to look around the Commons. There were posters all over the walls featuring the same lighter and heart image that was on the cover of 13 Heart's album. It looked very homemade. The message read "Bastion-local punk band 13 Hearts featuring Never-Never-Wonderland and Agraballaz. 18+ and no cover!" Added to the bottom on the flyer in girly handwriting was "Please come!" with a little heart at the end.

With no cover and no age limit like the rest of the shows, music junkies were flowing in like fish downstream. There were a few people who would glance at Roxas, but nobody stopped by the booth or gave the CDs a second look. The blond leaned against the wall and prepared for a long night.

The first band to play, Agraballaz, was just two people. It was rather an amazing feat. There was a man, Roxas' age, he figured, standing by the microphone with a guitar plugged into a turn table instead of an amp.

"Hey guys, my name is Allen," the man in the front announced. He turned to the other rather large man behind the turntable, "And this is Gene. We're the Agraballaz. Enjoy." For such a mellow entrance, their music was loud and distorted to perfection. Allen's guitar was warped and altered by Gene pressing buttons and turning discs to make it sound nothing like any guitar Roxas had ever heard. When Allen started singing into the mic, even his voice was distorted. Allen's soft voice he had used in his introduction was turned into a grubby, rough sound where the words couldn't be deciphered.

There wasn't a drummer or a bassist, so instead all of the beats were controlled electronically through Gene. He hands moved all over his turntable creating impromptu solos and digital melodies. It was very much a grungy dance anthem and all the students moving along. Most of the students in the back stood still with their arms crossed, and once in awhile some would shout out, encouraging the band. The closer the audience was to the front the more they would dance. Most near the front were girls who were dancing with each other and screaming towards Allen.

After four more songs, Agraballaz was out and Never-Never-Wonderland came onstage. This band was more traditional with a lead singer, a guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer. The lead singer had ginger red hair, a much more natural color compared to Axel's. He gave no introduction to the audience, and instead turned to his band and counted to three.

Their sound wasn't exactly metal, and wasn't exactly punk. Roxas squinted at the loud noise and resisted covering his ears. The boys in the audience started ramming into each other much in the same way the teens were moshing on Saturday night. He noticed some of the girls that were dancing to the music earlier were starting to get crushing by the boys moshing. Some of the girls joined in on the mayhem, but most frowned and started moving to the side.

The man singing probably had more energy than Axel had put on display in previous shows. He jumped on amps and kicked tables and would just scream into the mic with no repercussions. There was a break in the crowd and Roxas was able to see 13 Hearts still leaning against the same wall. Axel was glaring at the audience with a look of, if Roxas' eyes weren't deceiving him, _hate_.

The mosh pit fell in his line a vision and seemed to get dangerously close to 13 Hearts. As the kids on the floor stood back up and started to rush the other side with encouraging words from the singer. When the area cleared around 13 Hearts, Roxas saw that Axel was missing and Luxord, Xigbar, and Marluxia were looking into the mosh pit with worried face.

Where was Axel? Was he actually pulled into that? Roxas couldn't abandon his booth, but he couldn't very well just stand there if someone was getting hurt. Before he had a chance to act, he saw Axel's flaming red hair break through the back of the mosh pit and he ran towards the booth. In his arms was a younger student, a girl with a gaping wound in her leg.

"Axel!" Roxas shouted over the noise. He had a red mark on his face that was destined to become a bruise by tomorrow morning. His eyes turned to the girl limping next to him. She wore a purple hoodie that hid her face. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's a fighter," Axel said. "She got dragged in. Look out for her a second, I'm going to get a kit." The front man left the girl with Roxas as he fought his way to the bar. Roxas turned to the girl and examined her leg. He didn't have anything to clean it with, so he settled for helping her sit comfortably on the floor against the wall.

She pulled the hood down from her face and cringed. "Fuck!" she cried, grabbing the area around the scratch. Roxas instantly recognized her face as the white-haired girl Hayner had flirted with at the Organization show.

"Hey, I remember you."

The girl looked up at him with a look of recognition, then a curt frown. "The prick," she labeled. Roxas laughed nervously, trying not to make the girl that had just gotten trampled upset.

"Yeah, I guess. Where's your friend?" Roxas asked, remembering the large tanned boy that had shadowed the small girl while they were at the Organization.

"Studying," she bit out. On a Friday? What kind of high school student studies on a Friday night? And speaking of high school students…

"You know, this is an eighteen up show. What are you even doing here?"

This earned Roxas a _real_ heated glare from the girl. "I am eighteen," she hissed.

Roxas grumbled and glanced behind him, noting Axel was still trying to get the bartender's attention to get a first aid kit from behind the counter. "Sorry. You look really young, I guess." So it wouldn't have been a felony if Hayner were caught flirting with her. Since her best friend was obviously a student, he wondered if perhaps they went to the same university as him. "What's your major?"

"Communications."

Roxas tried really hard not to laugh. "Oh, really? I have a friend in Communications. Do you know Olette Diaz? She wants to be a news broadcaster."

The silverette glared at him. "Journalism. Print." Which meant that while they were in the same school of communications, they were in completely different departments and would probably never see each other.

"Oh, so like blogs and stuff? What do you want to report about?"

The girl looked into Roxas' eyes. She opened her mouth in an attempt to say something, but she no words came out. She spent a good ten seconds with her mouth agape but silent.

"Here we go!" Axel said happily, approaching the two with a small white box. "How's it going, Fuu?" The redhead sat down next to them and opened the first aid kit, taking out a small bottle of antibacterial wash. Axel frowned as he dug through the box deeper. "God, could there be any less swabs?" He uncapped the bottle and looked at the young girl in the eyes. "Sorry, but our set starts in five minutes, and this is going to hurt."

He dumped half the bottle over the cut on her leg. Roxas had spent the last few minutes trying to make her forget about the pain, but all that was lost as the alcohol sizzled down her leg. Fuu's face turned bright red as he tried to hold back a piercing scream.

"The worst part's over!" Axel said with a rewarding smile. He took a sheet of gauze out and placed it over the cut, which had been cleaned to reveal that it was a much smaller cut than it seemed without the blood. It looked like someone had stepped on her with a rubber-soled boot. Roxas cringed once he got a better look at it. It probably hurt like hell. Axel took a roll of soft medical tape and wrapped it around her calf and on top of the gauze multiple times. It wasn't very pretty, but it got the job done.

"Hey, Axe! We're on!" Xigbar called from across the room.

The front man grinned again and placed his hand on Fuu's shoulder. "All right, girly. Are you ready to rock?"

She smiled at him and took his hand, standing back up on her feet without much trouble. "Always."

Axel nodded one last time. He turned to Roxas and caught his eyes for a brief moment, winked, and turned back to his band. In an instant they grabbed their equipment and disappeared into the crowd. They popped up again on stage, and Axel set up his mic and plugged it into the amp.

"Okay guys," he spoke to the crowd. "That last show was a little rough, for everyone." Judging by the look of the crowd, everyone was haggard and exhausted, sweating and looking all-around drained.

"I'm going to tell you to do something a little different this time. Girls to the front."

Axel was met with a couple of crude calls from the audience. The front man rolled his eyes and strapped on his guitar. "Yeah, you think I'm kidding, but I'm not. I want the girls to own the dance floor tonight. Boys, get out of my fucking sight. Now."

There were a few murmurs from the audience, mostly angry and upset, as the boys started moving towards the back of the room. The girls that had been all but forced and shoved into the sides of the floor cheered and rushed to the front. When Roxas looked next to him, Fuu was gone.

"That's what I like to see," Axel nodded as the crowd started to split. "Feel free to have fun, everyone. But I don't want to see anybody coming from a show bloody and bruised when they don't want to be." He turned to the female audience in the front of him. "Don't take no shit from anyone. Take a chance to dish it out yourself every once in a while. This song is called _I Cried My Bleeding Heart Out For You_." Marluxia counted them down and the song ripped open with a drum solo.

From what little Roxas could glean from his singing, Axel was actually singing a love song. Until he started yelling about death and killing, but that seemed average for a 13 Hearts song. The guys that were standing closer to him seemed to be standing awkwardly while the girls rioted in the front.

"_Don't! Let! Anybody tell yah that cha' can't! Yah can't? Kick their fucking asses against the wall! Stand tall! Life is yours don't make them take! Take it from them instead!"_

The girls screamed happily, shouting the songs along with him. Roxas couldn't enjoy the show too much from as far back. He took one of the CDs on the table and looked at the back. It a list of all of the track names from their original songs scrawled on a charred sheet of notebook paper.

'The Mount of You on Me' 1:46  
>'Deadly Night Shade' 2:50<br>'Xigbar is a Dick' :45  
>'Lick It Like Luxord' 1:03<br>'She's So Gay For Him' 3:29  
>'Fire of My Eye' 2:34<br>'Every Time I Think Of You I Bite My Lip and Bleed a Little' 2:12  
>'Revel Boy' 1:55<br>'I Cried My Bleeding Heart Out For You' 3:02  
>'Lover Fucker Man' 2:33<p>

Roxas looked up at the band again. Axel was still rocking out just for the girls. Between songs he would talk to them and tell them not to be treated like garbage. "You guys deserve love if you want it. You deserve someone who will treat you good if you want it good, who won't step all over you and ignore you and push you to the side without your consent when you spent good money to be here tonight!"

A girl near the front shouted, "There wasn't a cover!"

"Fine, whatever. Shut the fuck up and listen to this little gem."

The set continued on for another half hour before Axel took a short break to drink water. He took a swig and spit it out at the audience. Luxord winced and rolled his eyes, not liking his stage antics. Roxas had almost lost track of time when Axel spoke into the mic, looking past the audience towards a man he couldn't see.

"Hey, Will, how much more time do we have? …oh. Okay… Shit." He turned to the audience. "Okay, guys, really sorry, but we've actually overplayed our set, like, twenty minutes." Axel pulled back his sleeve to look at his watch, cringing when he saw the time. "Thanks for coming out! You guys are so fucking awesome. Girls, you were awesome. Our CD's in the back! Ten bucks, check it out!"

Suddenly there was line at the booth at least seven people long. Most were girls digging into the purses for their wallets. In the next five minutes 13 Hearts made a hundred dollars easily. Roxas was blown away as the line kept growing and students were throwing down cash for CDs, sometimes more than one at a time. Some were asking if there was a jar to place tips.

After the crowd finally died down, Axel appeared next to Roxas and hovered around him like a gnat. The blonde even went so far as to swat him away.

"So how many did we sell? Huh? Huh?"

"Relax," Roxas sighed, selling an album to the last customer before marking it off on a sheet of paper. Doing a quick count, he raised a brow and smiled. "Seventeen."

Axel grinned triumphantly and high-fived Xigbar. "That's our best yet!"

"Congratulations," Roxas praised. Axel seemed to not be able to take his eyes off him, and it made the blonde admittedly very nervous. "…What?"

"Your face looks really cleared up… Are you wearing-"

"_OH_kay," Roxas cried, folding up the box the CDs were in. "When's the next show?" he asking while knocking the card table on its side so he could collapse the legs.

"Tuesday night, for me. But you don't really need to be there for that one," Axel answered.

Roxas was a little disappointed. He had a lab Tuesday nights anyway, so it wasn't like he'd be able to help out even if he wanted to, but he had fun tonight and found himself looking forward to doing it again. "Where do you want me to put this stuff?" he asked, handing the cash box over the Axel.

The only people left in the Commons were the band, Fuu, and some of the workers. Roxas was starting to assume that Fuu was a good friend of the bands. "Just leave it there. We got it. I know you've had a long day, go home."

Roxas was seriously expecting helping Axel's band to be more difficult. He had almost had… _fun_ tonight. Roxas nodded to the band, the redhead being the only one paying attention to him. They waved goodbye and Roxas headed towards the stairwell in the outside hall. Before he could open the door, someone called out to him.

"Wait!"

It was Fuu. Her leg must have still stung because she was limping down the hall. Roxas decided to meet her halfway. "What's up?"

It looked like she was struggling with her words again. For a moment it looked like she had a lot to say, but all that came out was "…Thanks." It wasn't a lot, but coming from a tough girl like Fuu, Roxas could tell it meant something.

She reached into a flap she had pinned to her pants, pulling out a small booklet. It was made of copy paper folded up and stapled by hand. "A zine?"

She nodded and smiled before turning back around and returning to the Commons. Roxas took a moment to look at the booklet. On the cover is read 'Magic Train,' and there was a cartoon of a train being conducted by a depressed looking teenager wearing black. Apparently it was the seventh issue, and it was interviewing seven bands. 13 Hearts was one of them, which promised to be interesting reading later.

Finally finishing his day, Roxas walked back upstairs and breathed the chilled night air. It had a cleansing effect on his skin, and he couldn't wait to go home and wash all that makeup off of his face. It was past midnight by the time he got home, and Namine was asleep on the couch with her wedding planner binder opened on her stomach. Roxas smiled and moved the binder on the floor and covered her with a blanket. He placed a small kiss on her forehead before moving into the bathroom and cleaning up. Finally, Roxas collapsed on the bed and fell asleep immediately.

**xxxXXXxxx**

So I had something funny/incredibly embarrassing happen in the reviews. I quoted the wrong band to the wrong song in chapter 1, which completely blew my mind. I got a couple people commenting on the gaff and my first response was "Yeah, I know that, duh. Why are you telling me something I- _oh shit."_ So I went back and fixed it. (If you didn't catch the mistake, don't worry about it). What's really funny is that, it's true, I get a lot of those bands mixed up a lot. My brother is really into 80s/90s hair bands and his enthusiasm for the genre helped influence a lot of the song choices in this story, as far as classic rock goes. (He likes to tell a story of one time, like summer 2014, he was in his driveway washing his car with Def Leppard playing on the stereo and a neighbor going on a jog stopped to chat and told him "Funny music! Is this a joke?" and my brother didn't know what to say, because his love for Def Leppard is pure.)

Fuu's a riot girl in this story, and 13 Hearts, while not having any women in band, support her and the movement. At the time of writing this story I was in school and taking some women in media classes, which included a feminism and rock culture class. If the idea interests you at all I recommend listening to some Bratmobile, El Tigre, Sleater-Kinney, and Bikini Kill (amongst many, many others) and picking up "Girls to the Front" by Sara Marcus.

As for Roxas' skin allergy, when I was a kid I was always the first to fall asleep at slumber parties, which is the highest form of social suicide when you're 11. I've had baby carrots dropped into my mouth, girl's scribbling with marker on my arms, hands in bowls of water, hands in bowls of whipped cream, but the worst - _the worst - _was waking up with toothpaste smeared over my face. I went into the bathroom to wash it off and was horrified to discover that the chemicals in the toothpaste had absorbed into my skin, giving my face a huge rash that lasted for days. Not that I'm bitter about it or anything. I've never actually tried to use toothpaste to remove sharpies before, but what works surprisingly well is hand sanitizer. It doesn't take it _all_ off, but it does a really good job.

Hope you guys are enjoying and still sticking with me! I sorta wanna post more than one chapter a week but since they can get long I'm trying to limit it so people don't get burned out. So for now, I guess expect updates on Mondays between 11a-1p central time. As always, I appreciate feedback in any form, so leave a review if you want or follow/fav!


	4. Work In Progress

**In this chapter: **Roxas gets a new hobby and Sora makes a very important call.

**xxxXXXxxx**

**Ballad**  
><strong>Chapter Four<br>"Work In Progress"  
><strong>

**xxxXXXxxx**

Sometime in the night, Namine had woken up and crawled into bed with Roxas, and had left again before he had woken up. He cracked open a single eye and looked towards the window. The alarm clock was out of sight, but his phone was sitting on the bedside, so he reached for it and checked the time.

Twelve-thirty in the afternoon and three missed messages. It seemed like it would be another normal day. He peeled himself out of bed, regretting last night's decision to not take another shower before sleeping. His ears were still ringing after all of the mayhem of 13 Hearts' performance. In the kitchen, next to a plate of pancakes covered in saran wrap, was a note from his blushing bride.

'_Went out with Kairi. Call Sora_.'

Even though there was clean silverware in the drawer, Roxas chose to eat the pancakes by hand and listen to his messages. The first one was actually from last night. Namine had called, once again, asking where he was and when he was planning on coming home. Since the Commons were underground Roxas didn't get any reception. He wondered if every night he went out to see 13 Hearts she would call asking about him. The next one from ten in the morning was from his brother.

"_Hey, Roxy. I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out today. The girl's are at the gym today and said something about shopping afterwards, God help us all. I'm bored as planks so gimme a ring_."

The last call was just long bouts of static, so he assumed someone must have called his number by mistake. The caller ID wasn't a number he recognized, though. He chose not to think to harshly about it and to call his brother back.

"Roxas!" Sora shouted happily into the receiver upon his brother calling. The blonde pulled his head away from his phone before Sora continued talking happily and far too loud. "Hey, wanna get together today?"

"It would be why I called," Roxas sighed. "So where and when?"

**oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo**

Later, at the coffee house under Roxas' apartment, he met his brother. Although Sora was the oldest, he held much more childlike naivety than Roxas felt comfortable admitting. The brunette sprung up behind his little brother, who was sitting at the counter waiting for his order.

"Get offa me!" Roxas laughed. If it were anyone else he'd probably punch them in the nuts and leave without his coffee, but Sora was always the exception to his every moral.

"Iced mocha frap with skim!" the barista shouted from the end of the counter. Sora followed Roxas to pick it up. "Whipped cream?" she asked.

"Sure," Roxas replied, turning to his brother, "So what did you have in mind today?"

"Chocolate sauce?" Roxas nodded.

"I was thinking maybe a movie? Some pizza or something?"

"Sprinkles?" Roxas waved his hand.

"What movie?"

"The Drafthouse has a double creeper feature this afternoon…"

"Thanks, and have a great day!"

Roxas took his coffee from the way-too-perky barista and was almost startled by the chocolate heart attack catastrophe in his hands. "No coffee beans were harmed in the making of this mocha," Sora joked, as if Roxas had never heard _that_ one before.

"Whatever. I don't even like scary movies…"

When Roxas was a kid, probably only seven or eight, his parents took he and Sora to see Jaws at the Drafthouse. It was the first time going to this theatre, which served food and drink during the movie. The Drafthouse was unique in that it made movies not only entertaining, but a social experience in itself. Too bad Roxas was too terrified watching children and women getting gnawed on by a Great White to notice.

"C'mon, its just some Jack Skellington flicks."

Jack "The Pumpkin King" Skellington was considered the god of gore when it came to directing movies. Most people enjoyed the films and called them "campy," but Roxas was never one for camp. It was October, but he was trying to escape horror as much as possible. Once he thought about it, Halloween was coming up next weekend.

Sora wrapped his arm around Roxas' shoulder and ushered him down the street towards the parking garage. "My car isn't here," Roxas stated. Sora didn't own a car and used the tram system religiously, claiming that it was really the only way to travel in this day-and-age of ecological awareness. However Roxas figured it was because he couldn't afford a vehicle or the means to fuel it. He appeared to show no signs of regret depending so much on others chauffeuring him around town, though.

"Why not?" Sora asked with a pout. Although he enjoyed the bus, the freedom of going wherever you want whenever you want can really only be experienced with a car. Roxas' car was still left at the parking lot for Traverse from Thursday night. A sudden jolt of fear hit the pit of his stomach when he discovered that the club probably didn't like his car just sitting there for two nights.

After a half hour bus ride and fifteen minute walk, Roxas found his car covered with those horrifying yellow envelopes and even a large sheet of paper taped to his window. He had a month to pay off the tickets.

"Stupid fucking tickets, fucking car, fucking Axel," Roxas murmured under his breath as he tried to peel off the paper from his window. "Stupid fucking band…" Once his car was cleared, they drove off to the theatre. The entire time Roxas was glowering angrily at the yellow tickets he stored in his sun visor flap.

"So, who's Axel?" Sora asked. Roxas realized he was using the redhead's name repeatedly like another cuss word.

"Nobody," Roxas stated through gritted teeth. It was all Axel's fault, Roxas believed. If the stupid frontman had just agreed to play his reception the first time they met a week ago, he wouldn't have to go to Traverse and wouldn't have to drink to enjoy his stupid music. Stupid Axel and his stupid skinny leather pants and stylish skin-tight shirt and ridiculous labret piercing…

Axel's style suddenly reminded Roxas of another annoying punk kid. "Hey, Sora…" Roxas drawled. His brother, who had scooted the front passenger's chair all the way back to lean his bare feet on the dashboard, turned his attention to Roxas and hummed in response. "…Why aren't you wearing shoes?" It was a stupid question, because Sora was one of those kids who would wear shorts and sandals even in the snow. Fifty-degree weather was no exception. Roxas shook it off before Sora could answer. "Whatever. Does the name Demyx mean anything to you?"

Roxas didn't necessarily get the response he was hoping for. In his perfect world, Sora would shrug and say '_He was just some guy who went to my school, but I didn't know him. Why do you ask, dearest brother?_' Instead, Sora said nothing. Roxas noticed his leg muscles tighten and his toes curl up. "Why?" he asked, sounding oddly serious.

"Well, no reason, really," Roxas said quickly. The blonde was seriously creeped out by his brother's reaction. "I mean, I ran into him at the grocery store the other day and he asked about you… He said y'all were tight… I was only curious because I didn't know him."

Sora didn't say anything for a few moments, opting to remove his feet and sit up straight. He suddenly found the scenery outside very interesting. "What else did he tell you?" He was pretending to be more interested in whatever they were driving past than the conversation. This sort of behavior was peculiar for Sora, but being brothers Roxas was used to it.

The younger brother paused for a second, trying to focus on driving and remembering that conversation he had a week ago. "He said that… his sister had a baby, which was why he came home from Destiny Islands. And, uh… He said he has the same cell phone number if you wanted to call him."

"No shit?" Sora asked. "I wonder who the dad is… She's seriously unhinged, so I feel really sorry for whoever's responsible…"

Roxas hated it when Sora cursed like this, because it usually meant he was really nervous. Something about Demyx must have caused this reaction. "I have to dig up his number… I deleted it when he moved."

So what Roxas was able to gather was that once Demyx left for college, Sora deleted his number from his phone, and most likely from the brunette's unexpected response, the punk was erased from memory completely. Even though his old high school buddy Pence went to a different college, Roxas still kept his number.

"Did you guys have a fight or something?"

"More like a falling out. But I guess separation makes the heart grow fonder." Sora chose not to elaborate on that thought. "I guess I'll call Lex and ask him for the number…"

Lexaeus was Hayner's beefy, jocky, and overall dunderhead of an older brother. He was one year Sora's senior, and would hang out with Demyx and his sister to smoke weed (so said Hayner). Lex was one of those people that never really made it anywhere. A football player in high school, he was constantly benched for poor grades that even the most sympathetic teacher couldn't salvage. After graduation, no college or university would have him, so he stayed at home. As far as Roxas knew, since Hayner almost refused to talk about him, Lexaeus remained in his parent's house to this day. Roxas had a pretty good idea that Sora didn't have Lex's number, which meant he'd have to go Hayner and ask for him eventually.

Roxas felt Sora shift in his seat again as he pointed out the ice cream parlor from the driver's side window. It was the most Roxas could do to not swerve into oncoming traffic. "Sora!" he cried. "What the fuck!"

"It's free scoop day! I totally forgot!"

Roxas sighed and pulled into the parking lot for the parlor. In a way he was proud of his brother to change the subject as well as Edward Scissorhands could change clothes. In short, a magnificent train wreck. "Yeah, whatever."

Roxas got strawberry and Sora got rainbow sorbet. He desperately hoped that the tickets to the horror matinee would be sold out so he wouldn't have to go. Roxas cursed when his brother shelled out the money for both their tickets. The only lifesaver the brunette gave his brother was, "It won't be that bad."

And in the end, the movies were terrible, no matter what Sora would say. Poor makeup on the zombies, hideous makeup on the ladies, and did the lead cheerleader really need to lose her blouse throughout _all_ of the third act? Sora ate it up as easily as he devoured his stale popcorn.

"He's going to die," Sora whispered to him. The jock, still wearing his jersey, once white now maroon with blood, sprinted down a suspiciously dark and dank school hallway while looking behind constantly, wild violins ripping off the _Psycho_ theme in the background. The loose plot binding this film together was, while the jock and the cheerleader were having a needlessly gratuitous make-out in the locker room showers, a serial killer that had a penchant for ruthlessly murdering impossibly attractive football players and cheerleaders had somehow got into the school after the big game.

A few brutal screams and the sound of a buzzing saw later, the jock was nothing but a puddle. "This is the part where he starts eating the body. See, the killer thinks he's a vampire, but a special breed that has to feed on actual meat instead of just blood."

"I think that just makes him a cannibal," Roxas murmured, cringing when it showed an image of the killer grinning, the jock's eyeball and all its nerves dangling from his toothy smile.

Roxas was thankfully distracted by his phone vibrating in his back pocket. Normally the Drafthouse was ridiculously strict about cell phone use during a movie, but it was a matinee and nobody was around anyway. Roxas tugged out his phone and flipped it open. The screen announced that he had received a new picture message. The picture was only slightly terrifying.

It was an image of the movie screen focused on the killer's creepy grin. If Roxas looked close enough, he could see himself and Sora sitting together closer in the front. Included was a caption '_Isnt this movie 2 die for_?'

It read like a tagline for one of films they were watching. It was from the same unknown number that had sent him all the pictures of 13 Hearts desecrating Roxas' face with a silver sharpie Friday night. If he didn't know any better, Axel was stalking him. Almost immediately he received another text. '_Cute date_.'

Roxas tried to control the bile rising in the back of his throat. Luckily Sora was too enthralled in the movie to notice Roxas texting with is phone. The blonde turned around, and sure enough there was the proud redhead in the very back of the theatre, sitting by himself. Roxas turned back to his phone and started texting a reply.

'_He's my brother, you sick fuck_.'

He determinedly pressed the send button, perhaps a bit too hard, and waited for a response.

'_Chillax. Wht r u doing here neway? U like horror?'_

'_No. Brother's idea.'_

'_So cool. Skellington roks!'_

'_He's a creep. I hate these movies…'_

'_lol y ru here? bonding time?'_

'_Not sure. I see my brother all the time.'_

'_Wanna sit w me?'_

Roxas laughed.

'_No.'_

'_Dick. Sit w you?'_

Roxas glanced at Sora, who was still giving his full attention to the movie. There really wasn't a decent reason Roxas could think of that would be a reasonable excuse for why Axel couldn't sit with them. He had already said that he saw his brother a lot and he hated the movie, so being alone with Sora couldn't be 'bonding time.' However, Roxas didn't want to go through the hassle of introducing Axel to his brother. Knowing Sora, he'd probably latch onto the redhead and never let go. Even if this was Axel Roxas was thinking about, he wouldn't wish his brother's obsessive behavior on his worst enemy.

Roxas' phone vibrated again with a new message.

'_Wanna ditch?'_

He read the text right as the cheerleader got her foot sawed off. Yes. Yes, now would be a very, _very_ good time to leave. Roxas focused his gaze on the sticky theatre floors to avoid as much of the blood as possible while leaning over to his brother and telling him he had to run to the bathroom right quick. As he rushed up the stairs to get out of that nauseating theatre as fast as possible, he made eye contact with Axel and motioned his head for him to follow. The older man almost comically tripped over his seat to follow Roxas out the door.

"Jesus Christ," Roxas whined as soon as the theatre doors shut behind him. He turned to Axel, who simply smiled at him and laughed. The blonde noticed that today he appeared to dress in civilian wear. The redhead wore faded skinny blue jeans and an old black Metallica tour shirt from the 90s. His hair wasn't gelled back like usual and looked naturally tousled.

"Are you sweating?" Axel asked. "Don't tell me that stuff actually scared you…"

"No, _no_, of course not." Roxas rolled his eyes as if this was the most insane thing the redhead had ever stated. The younger man pulled on his coat. "It just got a little toasty in there, was all." As if a windbreaker would cause him to sweat in a sixty-five degree theatre. Fortunately, Axel obviously noticed but decided not to comment.

"So you're here with your brother, huh? Can I meet him?" Axel asked, lifting his hands up over his head, stretching, and heading to the concession stand. Roxas had to walk quicker than normal to keep up with the tall man's pace.

"Well, you could, but he's not leaving until the movies are over," he sighed.

Axel ordered two bags of Skittles and an extra large diet coke. "Is he a horror buff or something?" he asked, taking a large gulp from his drink. The cup was easily larger than his head, which could either be taken as a compliment to the cup or an insult to his intelligence. Roxas laughed to himself.

"No," he chuckled, shaking his head. "Not really. He just likes campy double features like that."

"_Campy?_" Axel asked in horror. "Mister Strife, I believe you are mistaken. _Night of the Living Murderer_ and _Death of a_ _Zombie 2: The Zombie Lives_ are Criterion collection masterpieces. I pray you take back your insult, good sir."

"I take back nothing," Roxas said snootily, holding up his nose. It was hard to take Axel seriously with a mouth full of Skittles. The redhead tossed one of the bags to Roxas. "I just had ice cream, I can't eat this," the blonde admitted.

"C'mon, eat it," Axel grumbled. "I paid, like, three bucks for it. Eat it."

Roxas looked down at the red packaged candy in his hand morosely. "You didn't have to do that." Axel scoffed and brought his bag to his lips, letting the candy fall down freely. "I mean, seriously? All I've had to eat today was a mocha and ice cream." Despite everything, Roxas still grasped the edges of the bag and made to open it.

Axel curled his lip and looked down at the blonde man. "A _mocha_?" he asked his a look of total unbelievable disgust. "Wait a second… before I make any false assumptions about your character… You know, aside from you obviously being a rockist bigot."

"A what?" Roxas almost ripped the candy bag in half.

"Somebody who hates good rock music without a valid reason," Axel explained.

Roxas smirked. "My reason's incredibly valid, you just wouldn't like it."

Axel made a _harrumph _under his breath and continued. "What coffee shop did you get your precious mocha from?"

"Uh… The one on Main Street, near campus."

"Under the apartment complex?"

Roxas had successfully opened the Skittles bag and popped a few into his mouth. "Yeah."

"Twilight Town Café, right?"

"Are there any other coffee houses under apartment complexes on Main? Yeah, that's the one," Roxas said sarcastically.

"That's totally on my route," the redhead stated. It took Roxas a minute to remember that while doubling as the lead singer of a punk/80s cover band, he was also a tram driver for their lovely city. Axel laughed to himself. "Are you going to be around Tuesday night?"

Roxas hummed, his mouth full of candy. The thing about Skittles was that as soon as you bite through their suspiciously mellow exterior, the blast of flavor inside makes you susceptible to flying spit whenever you try to talk. To save himself from such morbid embarrassment in front of Axel, Roxas simply shook his head before swallowing the candy and the torrent of saliva that followed shortly. "No, I have my physics lab on Tuesdays. I've been skipping lately and my TA's kind of getting pissed."

"At least you have TAs that care," Axel scoffed, taking a few more large gulps from his diet coke.

"What college did you go to?" Roxas asked, assuming that the redhead was old enough to have graduated by now. He obviously wasn't in school now with a full schedule of band practice and chauffeuring the dregs of the city.

"I didn't," Axel answered, finishing his soda and tossing the giant cup into the trashcan with expert aim. Before Roxas had a chance to grill him about why he didn't enroll into any form of higher education (and the School of Rock didn't count), the front man turned to Roxas with a nice toothy grin not too far off from the murderer in the film. "So, what do you want to do next?"

"Next?" Roxas chuckled, popping more candies into his mouth. "I need to be getting back with Sora…"

"Aw, but I thought you _hated_ Skellington flicks. I've got the text to prove it." Like a lawyer dangling a crucial piece of evidence before a judge, Axel swung his red cell phone in front of Roxas as if that would be enough to stop Roxas from going back into the theatre.

"But it's my brother…"

"Whom you've also mentioned you see all the time anyway. And how many times do you get to see me? Almost never?"

"Because I've known you since, like, a week ago? And I've seen you four times since then…"

At Roxas' harsh tone, the perky redhead lost some of his bounce. "Aw, you're not serious. You love me, right?"

"Why would you even want to hang out with me? I mean, I'm a dick, right? Isn't that what you said?"

"I never said that," Axel said, frowning.

Remember their first meeting, Roxas begged to differ. "Yeah, you did." He took his cell phone out of his pocket and wagged it in Axel's face. "Besides, I've even got a text to prove it."

Axel cracked a grin and grabbed Roxas' wrist, pulling the phone away from his face. "You're a piece of work, you know that?"

Roxas sighed, looking at his cell phone that was still being held by Axel's hand. His fingers had a really warm touch, which was surprising from such a skinny guy. Roxas pulled up his cell phone and snapped it open. "Fine. I'll send him a text saying something came up." Axel squealed like a dork and clapped his hands. "But only because I hate Skellington movies. God, you're such a freak." After the text was sent, Roxas turned his attention back to the candy. "I can't believe I'm actually volunteering to spend more time with you."

"I promise it won't be that bad. What do you usually do on Saturdays, anyway? Got a part-time job?"

Roxas shook his head. "Nah. My mom says that I'm a full time student, and nothing should really distract me from that-"

"Except that you're getting married and live with your fiancé," Axel interjected.

The blonde playfully smacked his shoulder with the back of his hand. "She just wants me to get really good grades and doesn't want the 'stress of a work environment' to bring me down."

"Oh, so you have one of _those_ kinds of parents," Axel said, finishing off his Skittles and throwing them away, too. Roxas wasn't entirely sure how to take that statement. He puckered his lips in thought and nodded.

"Yeah… I guess."

"So what's your major?"

In all respect it was a completely legit question, but once you enter college it is the only question you will ever hear. And the question means so much, too, because once people hear that Fuu is a communications major, they know she's interested in film and radio and the science behind the technology and culture. When people hear that Namine is a traditional arts major, they know she's a creative, talented person without knowing anything else. Hayner was a physical sciences major, Pence was into business, and Olette was into communications as well.

"I'm… undeclared," Roxas sighed, tossing the Skittles wrapper into the trash by the door.

Axel chose compassionately not to tease. The look on Roxas' red, embarrassed face showed him how humiliated he was by this. "Hey, kid, it's all right. A lot of my best friends didn't know what they wanted to do with their lives until after graduation day. I'm sure with a solid head on your shoulders like you have you'll do great, don't worry."

Roxas, eyes still glued to the floor, smiled. Although Axel was from the outside, he knew a lot more about the blonde's current situation than he allowed anyone to let on. The fact that he was going to be married and a senior soon and he still didn't know what he wanted to do with his life was mortifying. As quickly as the heartwarming grin grew on his face, it quickly melted away into a searing frown. Roxas looked up at Axel and quipped, "I'm not a kid."

Axel laughed and pinched Roxas' cheeks. Hard. The blonde didn't exactly come from a long and fruitful family. Young, yes, but his parents didn't have eccentric old aunties or proud elderly grandpas that would be into cheek pinching. Even as a child, at the ripe age of 'cute,' he never got pinched. So now, Roxas was experiencing this ritual that seemed to plague young children on his favorite television sitcoms. And it hurt. A lot.

"Ow, stop that!" Roxas whined, slapping the hand away. He was sure he was left with a bright red mark now.

"Jeez, you're a whiner. Just like a kid, huh?"

"And I can easily punch you in the face and go back into the theatre, right?" Roxas said with a fake smile. Axel pouted and leaned against the glass door that led outside.

"You don't really mean that, do you?"

Roxas crossed his arms and started to turn back towards his theatre.

"Aw, c'mon, Rox. I'll buy you lunch. A respectable one. Without Skittles."

The thought of eating real food soothed Roxas' quaking stomach. Paying Axel just an hour of his time at most for a free meal was well worth the risk. The blonde turned to him and smirked. "Deal."

Axel just smiled and leaned against the door harder, pushing it open and holding it there so Roxas could walk out. "What place did you have in mind?" Axel took a few steps ahead and motioned down the street.

"Just this little campus restaurant. A real hole in the wall."

And boy, Axel wasn't kidding. The place wasn't even a restaurant, really. There was a counter where you placed your order, and the cook would shout the customer's name, and they would have to pick up their own meal. It was a lot like a diner, only with more scene kids than truckers and a stage for performances. However, it did come with a complimentary noticeably awkward smell that every diner had.

"Have you ever played here?" Roxas asked as they approached the front counter. The stage looked more like a storage area for extra chairs than a performance place.

"Pfft. Yeah, right. This place is so superficial I want to castrate everyone here." This surprised Roxas, since most of the people here looked like the kids that went to his shows, the same ones he would sing passionate songs to and would worship him like a saint. Axel approached the counter and gave his order. "Burger and shake… Chocolate." He turned to Roxas, "What do you want?"

The blonde shook his head. "You don't really have to pay. I can get myself."

"Don't think about it. You're helping us by roadie-ing for free. It's the least I can do."

"I don't really have a choice," Roxas muttered, finding it a little odd that Axel seemed to forget easily that he was roped into doing this against his will.

"Well, since Seifer went to school and you're working sans stipend, I'm saving about twenty bucks a show."

"Your last roadie only got paid twenty dollars a show? Why did he bother?"

"He was a hard-headed jerk," Axel declared.

Roxas stepped up to the depressed kid behind the counter. "Hi. I'll have a chicken sandwich and fries, ketchup on the side, and a diet Mr. Pibb."

"The only reason why he'd help us was because Squall's our sound guy."

"Are they friends?" Roxas asked, following the redhead to a booth next to the windows.

"Sure," Axel sighed as he rolled his eyes. "Something like that. But Seifer wouldn't work if he didn't get paid. I mean, he knew a lot about getting the guitars and stuff set before a show, but really, that's just stuff we could do ourselves."

"Do I have to learn to mess with guitars like that?"

Axel shook his head. "Not if you don't want to. I mean, like I said, we can do all of that stuff ourselves."

"I dunno," Roxas said with a shrug. "It might be nice to learn."

"Have you ever even touched a guitar before?"

The way Axel asked it was dripping with sarcasm, knowing the blonde would say 'no.' Roxas slowly shook his head, looking down to his silverware rolled up in a paper napkin. "Nobody's even really taught me. My parents were never that musically inclined…"

"Well, you're still really young. It's never too late to learn!" Axel said happily, folding his hands on the table. "I have a spare guitar you can borrow."

Roxas perked up at this. "Seriously? You'd, like, let me borrow it?"

"Yeah, like, seriously!" Axel said, mocking Roxas' voice to sound like a valley girl. Roxas glared at him, but Axel just laughed good-naturedly. "Sure, I'll lend it to you. Free, too, because I'm a good guy like that. We can head to my place after this and I'll pick it up for you."

"That's great," Roxas said, not really sure if he could believe the front man was actually going to lend him a guitar. Weren't those things supposed to be like a third leg to all musicians? "Thanks."

"Axel Rose! Order up!"

Axel and Roxas stood at the same time, and Axel held his hand out, motioning for Roxas to sit back down. "It's cool, I got it."

Roxas' eyes followed Axel as he walked to the kitchen counter where their trays of food were waiting under a heat lamp. The redhead was certainly an interesting person. While he was willing to lend Roxas a guitar, he was also more than willing to verbally insult him onstage. Just being around Axel made Roxas feel a little… _rebellious._ Although it was late to be feeling this way, since Roxas wasn't a teenager anymore and he didn't live with his parents, the redhead just seemed to drip in hidden angst that he had never seen in anyone he hung out with normally.

"Yo, Rox! Can you get the drinks?" Axel called from across the restaurant. Roxas blinked back into the present and looked in the direction Axel was pointing to. The soda fountain was sitting in the corner with bins of red hard plastic cups, a restaurant standard, sitting next to it. When he got back to the table, Axel was drinking his milkshake and ignoring his burger completely.

"So you're a desert first kind of guy?" Roxas asked, sitting down across from him and placing his napkin in his lap. He noticed that Axel's napkin was still left untouched, wrapped around the useless silverware.

"I'm more of a… I'm gonna eat this anyway, and I'm not getting any deader, so why not? …kind of guy." To make a point, he picked up his burger and squeezed it, watching the grease from the meat and cheese drip into the paper-lined basket. "See? That doesn't really help you, y'know, live."

"Then why do you eat it?" Roxas asked, holding up his chicken sandwich, complete with a single leaf of lettuce, as if to make a point that there was a healthier alternative. Axel just smirked wickedly.

"Nah, Rox. Healthy living isn't really my thing. I know I'm going to die soon. Why deny it?"

"But you'd be lucky to live until fifty eating that way," Roxas muttered. Not that he was a healthy eater, because he did love his guilty pleasures, but at least he wasn't ignorant about it.

"But they're so good here!" Axel reasoned, complete with grease dripping down the side of his lip. Roxas tried his damndest not to laugh. Hastily, Axel swallowed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "No, seriously, haven't you ever wondered what the smell was around this block?"

The way campus was set up was the poorer students lived south in cheap apartments and dorms, and the wealthier students lived north in condos and lofts. Roxas and Namine lived in an apartment north campus, and Roxas never spent much time southside if it wasn't required for classes. Roxas assumed that the odd smell Axel was talking about just came from the general neighborhood. Not wanting to come off as more of a complete asshole than the redhead probably already assumed, Roxas decided to simply nod his head while sipping his diet Pibb.

"Well, there's a reason for that, you know? They butcher the cows here."

Roxas balked, almost spitting out his soda. "They do _not!_"

"No, they totally do!" Axel said, grinning. "Haven't you ever wondered why the staff here is so overwhelmingly depressed?"

"You mean besides being teenagers working at a fucking _diner?_"

"There's a slaughter house in the back. Now, granted, the cows are technically already dead when they get here, but they skin them in the building behind this one. It's like a scene from one of those murder house movies, with the cow corpses on hooks."

Roxas recalled what Rinoa said the other day, about not being able to trust Luxord or Xigbar, and how Marluxia was a social enigma. Axel's track record wasn't exactly viable, either. "Why should I believe you?"

"Why? One of my best friend's ex's bandmate's old band's drummer's brother works there!" Axel turned and looked over his shoulder towards the counter. "Yo, John!"

Roxas glanced up from his chicken sandwich and saw a huge brown-haired man quickly poke his head out of the opening in the wall dividing the kitchen from the rest of the diner. He was wearing a blood soaked apron. Roxas' face paled a few degrees as he placed his sandwich back down in its basket.

"See?" Axel said happily, turning back to Roxas. "John's is pretty cool. He comes to a lot of our shows, but he's been pretty swamped with school lately." Ignoring the sickly green color on the blonde's face, Axel pointed to the fries. "Are you gonna eat those?"

Roxas slowly shook his head and pushed the basket towards Axel. The redhead beamed and grabbed a small handful of them, shoving them in his chocolate shake.

"What are you doing?" Roxas almost cried. He just ruined a perfectly good milkshake!

"What? Nothing," Axel replied, taking the fries out and, to Roxas' absolute horror, ate them. The redhead's smirk grew slowly watching Roxas watch himself as he slowly chewed the salty sugary snack.

"What was that? That was disgusting!" he wailed.

"No, it's delicious." Axel grabbed a single fry from the basket and gave it a nice dip, making sure to slowly swivel the fry inside the shake like a straw. He took the fry out, the small fried potato barely able to stand under the weight of the desert, and handed it to him. "C'mon. It's like a chocolate covered pretzel. Only you're more likely to die from it."

Roxas loved chocolate covered pretzels, but he had never heard of a chocolate ice cream covered French fry. Warily, he took the fry from Axel and looked at it cautiously. In the end, he couldn't do it. He just _couldn't_ do it. It was far too gross. His poor sickly stomach couldn't handle the pressure of Axel egging him on.

"Psh. Baby," the redhead stated, picking up his basket and reaching for Roxas'. "You done? I want to stop by my apartment before it gets dark."

"Why's that?" Roxas asked, taking his sandwich from the basket before Axel snatched it away. He tossed Roxas' basket on top of his own and used his free hand to muss with Roxas' hair. The blonde nearly freaked and he swatted Axel's hand away and tried his best to salvage his hair in the reflection of the window.

"I don't want a cutie like you being taken down by some predator. This may surprise you, but I live in a shady part of town."

The way his said it made it obvious that Roxas had already jumped to that conclusion a long time ago. The wary student waited by the door as the frontman tossed their garbage away and followed him outside.

On the way to Axel's apartment, Roxas kept him busy by asking him questions about his performances. The redhead's creepiest moment was when some girl had thrown their bra onstage and it got caught on his guitar. He said that the action isn't nearly as flattering as whatever rock star myth made it seem.

"So what about your bandmates? I haven't really heard much from them," Roxas added as they turned a corner and headed towards the south side of campus.

"Well, Xigbar can be kind of mean, but he's… got a good heart, I'm sure. I mean, I haven't seen it yet, but apparently Luxord has. He vouches."

"Is it true that he was a black jack dealer in Vegas?"

"Heheh, yeah. I actually met him in Vegas before he moved down here. He played in a band called Cards or Die in some pretty fancy clubs on the strip. I gave him one of my band's old demo tapes and he got in contact with me about a year later… and the rest was history!"

"And what about Marluxia. I know Rinoa performs with you guys and everything, so you guys must be close… She couldn't really find anything to say about him."

"Marly lives a hundred different lives, kid. We used to be closer but since relocating to Bastion he's been keeping busy with God-knows-what." Axel dug into his back pocket and pulled out a crumbled box of cigarettes. "Do you mind?"

Roxas shook his head and Axel lit up. "He seems a bit different from the rest of you guys. I mean, everyone seems kind of grungy, and then there's Marluxia with the pink hair and the glitter and the spandex…"

"Yeah," Axel laughed. "He's a Bowie fan. I do know one thing about him: His favorite movie is _The Velvet Goldmine_."

"Never heard of it…"

"Oh, it's amazing. It might be a little bent for you, but it's good for a rock and roll history flick."

After a few short minutes, they approached a red brick building that stood alone on a corner near a gas station and a pawnshop. It wasn't like most apartments where there was an office and multiple rows and groups of complexes. The building was long and narrow, and looked like it was just a row of five rooms three stories tall. "I'm on the second floor," Axel stated, tossing his cigarette into the gutter before bounding up the stairs.

Roxas was very curious about what Axel's apartment looked like. You can tell a lot about a person's real character by how they keep their personal space. When Axel unlocked the door and stepped inside, Roxas was pleasantly surprised.

There were eight guitars hanging on the wall on special display wracks, one placed horizontally above the television the way some people display swordfish trophies. His walls were lined with old b-movie posters, and he was starting to notice a trend. "Are you an Ed Wood fan?" he asked, stopping in front of a _Glen or Glenda?_ poster.

Axel, who had disappeared into the kitchen, stuck his torso out to look at the poster as well. "Ah, those were just gifts from the guys. I needed something to decorate with… Movie poster reprints are the easiest way."

Roxas laughed. "I wish I could convince Namine that. She spent fifty dollars on an art print, not even framed, at some street festival a few weeks ago. She has this motif for the apartment that she wants to follow…" Roxas looked around at the guitars and the movie posters approvingly. "But I don't really care for that stuff."

"Welcome to marriage," Axel said with a laugh. He turned to the eight guitars hanging on the wall. "Alright. Choose one."

Roxas turned and looked behind him, eyes wide. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, pick one," he said encouragingly. "Each one has a different sound, though. What kind of style were you thinking about picking up?"

"Guitars have different sounds?" Roxas asked, following Axel as he walked around the couch and picked up a black, round guitar from the wrack. They seemed to much bigger in person when he was up close. Axel strapped on the guitar and strummed.

"Of course they do. I mean, you can't really tell now without the amp, but this one has a real deep, kind of…" he made a sound mimicking the sound the guitar would make, had it been plugged in. "I use this one for blues."

"The blues?" Roxas asked, brow sufficiently raised. "What've you got to be depressed about?"

"Aw, c'mon, Rox. Anybody can be depressed," he sighed, starting to strum a song. Every once and a while he would hit the body of his guitar to create a better beat. "I live all alone, nobody to call my own, I eat ramen every day, the only thi~ing I can say is, well brother, I got the blues… The poor single rock star blues."

Although the song was meant to be taken jokingly, Roxas was totally enraptured with Axel's voice. His tone carried the perfect melody that took Roxas back to that special place where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky. This sound in his voice wasn't captured with the screaming punk music he played in 13 Hearts when they weren't doing covers.

"This was my first guitar," Axel said, smiling at it warmly that way some men would smile down on their first-born son. He put the guitar back on the wrack and picked up a different one a few selections down. "This one is good for a more metal sound. You know, like Cannibal Corpse or Kreator. Heh… Sorry if you don't know what those sound like but I'm not going to give you a demo."

He pointed to a bright red guitar. "The Fender is better for a pop-punky kind of sound that we used to play," he said quickly. "You probably hear its sound on the radio a lot. And this one I use for fast playing during some of our songs on stage. Something about the shape makes it easier for me to play quickly…"

Roxas was starting to wonder if he was going to take out his wallet and show him pictures of his guitars during live shows. "I think I'll take that one," Roxas stated, pointing to the red Fender. "Is that okay?"

"Sure, it's fine. I don't get to play it much anymore since we've changed our sound," Axel said with a shrug. "But it is my most expensive guitar, so take care of it."

"Oh, maybe I shouldn't," Roxas replied, feeling a little uneasy just _taking_ something like that. "I mean, what if I lose it or break it?" he questioned.

Axel rolled his eyes at him. "How do you lose a guitar?" he asked, making a visual gesture at how big the guitar actually was. "And don't worry about breaking it. I'm not just going to hand it over to you and let you slaughter it. I'm going to teach you everything first."

"Right now?"

"Just the basics. Number one: Don't carry the guitar by just its neck. Use two hands." Axel demonstrated by cradling the guitar's body and neck at once. "Number two: Don't fuck with the tuning." He pointed to the tuning keys on the head of the guitar. "If you stretch out the strings you have to replace them all the time and that sucks. I'll give you a tuner so you don't mess up. Number three: If you're going to travel, put it in a case. Guitars aren't invincible."

Axel walked over to the coat closet, which was littered with guitar cases. Fabric ones were hanging from hangers instead of jackets, and on the floor there were the traditional hard cases. Roxas noticed under the hanging cases there were three amps. Just how much money did Axel have to throw around on music supplies? It was no wonder this guy was single and living off ramen.

"I know it's kind of bulky," Axel grunted, pulling out the hard case, "but it's the safest possible solution if you're _that_ terrified of shattering it." With one last tug he was able to free the case from the closet. He snapped it open and two moths fluttered out. "Oh, gross… I need to buy some mothballs." Roxas swatted and successfully maimed one of them, squishing them into oblivion on the tiled entryway.

"No problem. I'm sure Namine has mothballs somewhere in the apartment. It smells like them a lot."

Axel placed the Fender inside its case and snapped the shiny silver buckles closed. "There. Snug and safe." He stood and clapped the dust from the case off his hands. "Lemme help you take all this stuff to your place."

"My car is still at the movie theatre," Roxas commented, thinking that his car was probably missing the shaded sanctuary of his apartment's parking garage. Roxas looked at the guitar case on the floor and frowned. "I can carry that okay by myself."

"And the amp?" Axel asked, walking back from the wracks carrying a long cord and dropping it on the case. He turned back towards his bedroom and went inside. Roxas was curious about what it looked like in his bedroom, but the door opened at an angle where he couldn't see the inside. He could hear Axel grunting and soon he came out the door with a small Fender amp in his hand. The amp was black and had a small handle on top for easy carrying. The material on the amp was the same the guitar case, and on the front speaker there was a silver 'Fender' logo in the corner. "The sound from an unplugged electric guitar is boring to practice with. I don't want you to have to carry this all on your own, though."

Roxas smiled and picked up the guitar. Combined with the case, it was a _lot_ heavier than he expected.

"Got it there, Rox?" Axel asked. Roxas couldn't tell if the worried tone in his voice was for himself or the guitar.

"Yeah, got it," he sighed, fitting the handle nicely in his hands. "Thanks for doing this for me. I've always kind of wanted to learn, but… you know how it is." _Or probably not_, Roxas thought. Knowing Axel he was probably playing guitar since he was five.

The redhead didn't say anything as they left his apartment and tried to make it down the stairs without falling.

**oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo**

Stepping out of the theatre, the sun was beginning to set at its brightest and almost blinded Sora after being in the dark for so long. The brunet squinted and put his hand up towards the sky to block the rays, looking around the parking lot. His brother's car was still sitting in the lot, but Sora wasn't worried.

He took out his cell phone and checked the time. Kairi wasn't expecting him home until later, so he had at least another hour to kill until returning home. He casually started walking down the sidewalk, cell phone in hand.

The small device had been a bane on his existence since earlier this afternoon. The back of his head was screaming at him numbers that he deleted but could never forget. As if he had no control, those seven digits were tapped and his phone rose to his ear.

Ring tone.

Ring tone.

Ring to-

"_Hello~?"_

Sora smiled, his face contradicting the nervous rhythm of his heart. Breathing slowly, he closed his eyes as his smile transformed into a wide grin.

"Hello, Demyx."

**xxxXXXxxx**

Woo! I've been reading a lot of old fanfiction that I read while I was writing Ballad. Some of the stories were really great! Can't recommend _Boys_ by Casey V enough. I'll always be a fan of _How To Do Nothing At All_ by Falaphesian (both can be found under my "favorite stories" tab on my profile). I've been out of the fanfiction game for a while and most of my favorite writers aren't posting anymore. Does anybody have any good stories to recommend? I prefer AUs (doesn't have to be school-based, but I'm not a fan of reading in-game stuff, especially since I haven't played anything after KHII yet.) Also prefer for them to be finished, unless the writer seems to updating regularly. Don't care if it's long or short, any rating's fine, humor's great, don't care when it was published, I just want it to be _good_, y'know? Anyway, if anybody has any good suggestions feel free to leave a title/author name in a review or in a PM!

Speaking of publishing dates, and this will severely date my story I'm sorry guys, when I wrote this story not a lot of people had smart phones yet. I had a flip phone when I started writing this, and I got my first iPhone in 2008 a few months after I started (and probably about a year after they hit the market, give or take). Almost everybody in this story has a flip phone. It's such a minor detail, but when I read details about how the characters use their phones (little things like a light blinking for a missed call, etc) it really throws me for a loop. I asked a friend if I should change it so the characters are using more modern phones, and she said not to touch it, and that this story was a precious artifact from the mid-aughts. I don't know if any of the newer readers have ever had a deal with a flip phone before. It's weird to think about. Sorry if the way they use their phones is weird (like Axel and his chat speak. Remember when you had a character limit for texts? That was the worst!") Anyway, just wanted to point that out because for some reason showing off how old and decrepit I am sounded like a good time. See you guys next week~~~~!


	5. The Sweater Song

**In this chapter:** Axel and Kairi meet and Roxas' world slowly starts to unravel, whether he notices it or not.

**xxxXXXxxx**

**Ballad**  
><strong>Chapter Five<br>****"The Sweater Song"**

**xxxXXXxxx**

"Okay, and this is a g-string. Yeah, yeah, stop laughing. It's one of the most important- And, hey, put your finger here like this and wrap your thumb around the neck like this and… Okay, strum."

Roxas looked down at the guitar skeptically, pick at hand, and clumsily brushed across the strings. Without the guitar plugged into the amp, the sound was terrible.

"Great! Okay, now that was a chord. You learn three of these and you can join a punk band."

The blonde looked up at Axel, who was sitting on the coffee table across from him. "You really think so?" Roxas asked, a small smile on his face. He readjusted his fingers and swooped the pick across the strings again, making a more affirming, acoustic sound.

"Of course!" Axel said happily. "Anyone can play and it's never too late to learn new tricks. I'm actually sort of proud of you for wanting to learn. With school and a wedding to balance and all, and on top of that helping us with our shows… I'm surprised you aren't too busy for this."

Roxas looked down at the guitar, wondering what sound it would make if he moved his finger placement down one tab. He started strumming and trying to get the hang of making new sounds. "Well… Namine is the one who keeps track of all the wedding stuff. I don't know, the whole idea is really scary once I think about it?"

Axel laughed. "Getting cold feet already?" Axel checked his watch. "Wow. A record sixteen hours and two months before the big day."

Roxas playfully pulled Axel's arm down so he wouldn't notice the time anymore. "_No_, it's not cold feet," he stated like a stubborn mule. "Well, I mean, think about it? Spending the rest of your life-"

"-With one person? Oh my _God_, blondie, it's like you and every other cookie cutter fiancé out there always feels the same way. Don't even hesitate about it now, you still have months to worry." While he was up, Axel took a moment to peruse Roxas' living room, spending most of his time looking at the photographs on the wall.

It was almost depressing, Roxas thought, how similar their apartments were, but how different they were at the same time. Axel's apartment was clean, spotless. The walls and carpet were just as pristine white as Roxas' living room. However, the redhead brought a more devilish charm. The guitars and the old movie posters were a start. Roxas felt his face heat up in embarrassment, wondering what Axel was thinking of him seeing the room decorated with flowers and random bowls of potpourri purchased from Pier One.

The walls in his apartment were decorated with family portraits only. Roxas remembered buying a print of a skull study painting by his favorite illustrator, but Namine said it didn't match the aesthetic mood she was trying set. To this day the print still sat rolled up in Roxas' side of the closet. He felt so whipped.

Axel laughed, and Roxas turned, in horror, to see Axel looking at a portrait of himself and Namine taken not long after the proposal. Namine had insisted having a picture to send with their wedding invitations. The happy couple's faces were feathered in from a white border to a backdrop of a waterfall in a jungle with a rainbow. Roxas was wearing a blue button-up shirt, and comparable to even the cheesiest portraits, the blonde had a large, toothy grin and vacant eyes looking off-frame. It really was a terrible image. Roxas had actually refused to send them to his friends, but in the end Namine got what Namine wanted, and the photographs were sent with the invitations without him knowing.

"Wow. Roxas, I'm sorry, but… _Wow_."

"Shut up, dick, it wasn't my idea," Roxas replied, laughed shortly despite himself. Axel pointed to Namine. "So this is your wife?"

"Fiancée? Yeah." It took Roxas a moment to remember that, yeah, Namine and Axel had never met.

"She looks just like you," he commented.

What?

"_What?_" Roxas asked, his lip curled up into the most confused expression he had ever displayed. Of all the comments he had received about him and Namine, that was never one of them. "What do you mean?"

Axel took a step back from the portrait, resting his chin between his thumb and forefinger in a thinking motion. "I dunno. She's blonde, you're blonde. Blue eyes. Pale skin. If it weren't for the facial structure I'd think y'all were brother and sister."

"Ew, _no._"

"Or maybe it's like humans and their pets, you know?" Axel commented walked away from the portrait and further inspect the kitchen. "Like how the butcher owns a bull dog and rich old ladies own Pomeranians and shit? Something like that."

"Please don't tell me you compared my fiancée to a dog."

Axel let out a bark of laughter as he opened up the fridge and looked around inside. Roxas stepped into the kitchen not long after Axel and watched him search inside the icebox. Axel closed the door and started opening the cabinets.

"What are you doing?" he asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the entryway. Axel peeked inside the cabinet reserved for cups and closed it after a brief inspection, turning towards Roxas.

"You can tell a lot about a guy by the way he keeps his house. But this seems like more your fiancée's wicked creation than your own."

"Wicked?"

"Like the play." He put his hands behind his back and scrutinized the notes left on the refrigerator door like it was fine art. "You know, Roxas…" Axel trialed off. The blonde didn't like the tone in his voice one bit.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, now that we're friends and all, I've decided to make you my new project!"

The only projects Roxas had ever been concerned about were the curricular kind. Since Axel wasn't a student and seemed to have copious amounts of time on his hands, there was only so many terrifying projects he could muster, and Roxas didn't want any part of it. "Oh… You don't have to do that, really," Roxas said, trying to turn his offer down politely.

It could have been his subconscious telling him what to say. In high school, Olette was a big fan of _Wicked_ and would listen to the soundtrack and sing the lyrics all the time. When Roxas spoke those words, he almost covered his mouth to stop him from saying what came next. The look in Axel's eyes told him he wasn't that lucky.

"I know," he replied with a curt smile. "That's what makes me so nice."

Roxas held up his hand, pointing a threatening finger at the redhead. "I swear to God, Axel, if you continue, I-"

"Continue what?" he asked innocently. "We were just having a simple conversation." He seemed to be paying heavy attention to the events calendar that was kept in the kitchen. For October, the picture of the month was a babbling brook in a forest with leaves having just turned into their fall colors. He curled a lip at it. "What is this?"

Roxas walked up behind him and looked at the caption under the image. "Uh… It looks like a photo from a forest in Halloston taken by D. Izzard," he read blandly. Axel still had a look of skepticism on his face. "What? What's wrong with it?"

"I don't know. There's something about scenery that doesn't seem very… Never mind, do you like it? That's the important thing."

Roxas took another look at the brook. It was a nice photograph, all things considered. The water that was jumping off the rocks weren't motion blurred, the blue sky in the background seemed to clash with the orange and red leaves beautifully. It was a very nice picture, but at the same time Roxas didn't like it. The picture should have been taken closer to night, with stars, and bats in the sky. He shook his head. "What does this have to do with anything?"

Axel opened his mouth to answer, the very beginnings of his retort whispering out of his throat, when the sound of a key being shoved through the apartment door cut him off.

"I think that the strapless top would look best on you. You look weird in a wrap gown since your boobs aren't big enough."

"_Mean. _I'm not doing strapless. The bottom half is too heavy. What if there was a fashion disaster?"

"Fine. What about the sash top? That was cute."

"And I'm not wearing the sash top. I'd look like Tarzan."

"You mean Jane."

"Whatever." Namine looked up and saw her fiance. "Oh. Roxas, I didn't think you'd be back yet," Namine stated. She placed her purse and keys on a small table next to the door and approached. Halfway through reaching up to give him a welcoming peck on the cheek she saw Axel standing in the kitchen. "OHMYgod," she almost yelled, jumping back and clutching her hand to her chest. "Wow. Roxas? Um… Who's your friend?"

The blonde man blinked and turned to the redhead. "_Oh_, sorry. Jeez, I keep forgetting you guys haven't met… Namine, this is Axel, the lead singer to 13 Hearts. Axel, this is Namine, my fiancée."

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss…" Axel trailed off, holding out his hand. Namine held out her hand and allowed Axel to take it into a firm shake.

"Gibson. Although, not for long. Go ahead and call me Mrs. Strife if you want," she replied with a giggle. "And very nice to meet you, too." Roxas sighed as his fiancée seemed to calm down slightly. He supposed anyone would be somewhat scared and intimidated meeting someone like Axel for the first time.

"Namine Gibson… Marrying Roxas Strife…" Axel's lip was puckered in through. "Why do the names _Gibson_ and _Strife_ sound so familiar?" he whispered aloud to himself. Roxas shrugged and shook his head. Namine turned behind her and pulled Kairi from behind the wall between the kitchen and the living room.

"And this is my sister, Kairi." The short redheaded girl looked shocked for a moment, face frozen into a hesitant smile.

Roxas was studying Axel's face the entire time. His green eyes went from pondering to confused to absolutely overwhelmed in the span of five seconds. The front man's jaw dropped as he shook Roxas' sister-in-law's hand.

"Axel," Roxas prodded, "is there a problem?"

"Kairi. Kairi Gibson?" he asked.

The petite redhead looked at Axel questioningly, pulling her bangs behind her ear to get a better look at Axel. She was hesitating, but put on a curious face regardless. "I was," she stated, "but I'm Kairi Strife, now. Did we know each other before?" She asked, making it obvious that she didn't recognize Axel at all.

The older man shook his head. "No, we never met, but I think I knew your husband…" That caught Roxas' attention. Axel turned to the blonde man, his cheek curled up and his eyebrows quirked in a way that represented total confusion. "Is your brother Sora?"

"You know him?" Roxas didn't feel comfortable about this at all. It was one thing to know Demyx, a boy from high school who went on to one of the best colleges in the country. It was a completely different situation if Sora hung out with Axel, a dropout and a tram driver.

"Sora Strife?" Axel said to himself again, looking into the middle distance vacantly. He caught himself, quickly glancing at the odd looks Roxas, Namine, and Kairi were giving him. "Oh, it's nothing, just a… nostalgic moment, you know?" he said quickly. "Well, you guys probably want to settle in for the evening, so I'll just see myself out."

He nervously laughed and tried to squeeze between Kairi and the kitchen wall, careful not to so much as accidentally brush against the redheaded tart. Halfway out the door, however, Roxas stopped him.

"Hey, wait up a second," Roxas said, following Axel outside.

Axel bowed his head, focusing all his nervous energy into glaring a whole into the concrete walkway. "Look, I'm sorry I acted like a douche back there, but-"

"Yeah, I don't blame you. Kairi makes me nervous, too." Roxas held a box under Axel's nose. The smell alone was enough to cut the redhead out of his 'nostalgic moment.'

"Mothballs?"

"For your closet," Roxas explained. "I mean, you own a lot of nice cases and stuff… It would be a shame if they disintegrated the next time you used them."

Axel took the box in his hand and looked at it casually. "Wow… thanks."

"So are you going to tell me how you know my brother?"

_Dammit._

"It's not that big of a deal. Do you have a brother complex or something?"

Roxas shook his head. "It's just that Sora… Although he's older, he hasn't exactly lost that innocence yet. I don't exactly trust him a-"

"Around people like me?" Axel finished. Although he seemed good-natured about it, Roxas caught the icy glower before Axel directed his attention to finding his cigarettes. "Trust me, that boy's lost his innocence enough," he muttered with a stubbed cancer stick in his lips.

"And just what's that supposed to mean?" the blonde asked, hands on his hips. Axel took a long drag, waving his hand in Roxas' face to tell him to wait. He held the nicotine in his chest for a moment before releasing the smoke in a hazy sigh. The vapor faded around his head, almost obscuring his face.

"It means: Talk to your brother." He reached his free hand out and flicked the younger man on the forehead. "Thanks for the mothballs," he added, holding up the box and shaking it with a loud rattle. "Normally we have shows on Saturday, but this is our day off. Go ahead and get a good night's sleep. I'm sorry for bugging you all day."

"No, you didn't…" Roxas sighed, deciding it was for the best to keep Axel's advice and just confront Sora on his own. However, after the awkward reply he got for the brunette about Demyx, Roxas was certain that he didn't exactly feel comfortable talking with his brother about people he seemed to purposely hide from him.

"Are you going to be playing at Traverse?"

"Nah, that was a special occasion," Axel stated, leaning against the banister overlooking the courtyard. "The Organization's our regular gig. They're good to us there." They must be, if they brought a crowd that size every week. "I'll keep you posted on gig times, don't you worry."

He snubbed the cigarette out on the pavement and made his way towards the stairs. The blonde noticed he was taking his exit and felt the need to say something before Axel just left. The last thing he wanted was for their day to end on a sour note. "Bye!" Roxas called awkwardly. Before the redhead disappeared into the stairwell, he turned and smiled.

"See you later, Rox."

**oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo**

"_Who's this?"_

"_You know who."_

"_NOOoooo… Ohmigawd! How've you been?"_

"_Fine…"_

"_I ran into your brother at the grocery store last week, but I totally didn't think you'd actually call!"_

"_How were things at the harbor?"_

"_So fucking amazing! So many good shows, I wish you could've been there!"_

"_Yeah, but you know-"_

"_I know, I know. How is she, anyway?"_

"_Doing good. We're both working. I guess… I didn't exactly expect to be this settled by now, y'know?"_

"…_Sora, what is it you __**really**__ want to ask me?"_

**oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo**

"So… that was the singer for 13 Hearts?" Namine asked after Roxas got back inside. The blonde turned to his fiancée and nodded. "Wow… he's a lot…"

"A little rough around the edges?" Roxas suggested. She nodded and started boiling a kettle for tea. Kairi situated herself on one of the couches in the living room.

"That's so weird that he knows Sora," his sister-in-law said, turning on the television. "Small world, I guess. I bet they met through Demyx."

Roxas' eyes widened slightly, stepping backwards to pay attention to Kairi in the other room. "You know Demyx?" Kairi looked at him quizzically and shrugged.

"Not really. He was Sora's friend, not mine. But they met in high school and I think they hung out last summer when he came home for break." She started channel surfing. "Demyx is a real weird kid." Roxas almost swore there was another emotion buried deep within her purposefully neutral tone.

"Roxas, what's that?"

He turned and saw his fiancée pointing towards the amp and guitar leaning against the second couch pressed against the wall. "Oh, Axel's letting me borrow those. I sort of wanted to learn, and he said he had a spare…"

Namine laughed. "That's too funny. You've never wanted to learn before."

"Well, it's one of those things that everyone should learn to do." Namine gave him a look. "I mean, not specifically like guitar, but… You don't really understand. You have your drawings, and I'm not really good at anything except…" What _was_ he good at?

Namine waved her hand carelessly and kissed him on the cheek. "Nevermind. You've never expressed interest in learning an instrument before. I think it's funny." She brushed past him to sit next to her sister on the couch. "Can you fix the tea when the kettle's done?"

"Um… sure." Roxas started to move to the kitchen when Kairi stopped him.

"By the way, where _is_ Sora?"

Honestly, Roxas hadn't thought about that. Luckily he was in the kitchen and the girls didn't see him reaching for his back pocket where his cell phone was tucked snuggly. He had one text message. It was from his brother.

'_I'm home. Is Kairi there?_'

Oh, thank GOD.

"He's back at your place. He wanted to know where you were," Roxas replied casually. Kairi made a surprise hum and shuffled through her purse to call her husband.

"Hi baby! I'm at Namine's… Oh, that's cute. Did you boys have fun?" Roxas wanted to continue listening, but the kettle started to whistle, and by the time the clatter of preparing the tea was finished, so was Kairi's phone call. "I'm going to stay here to watch a show… …Okay, I'll be home in few!"

She click the phone shut and turned to her sister as Roxas entered the living room with tea. He placed the tray on the coffee table next to one of Namine's open textbooks. "Man it's crazy thinking that midterms are coming up. It's great nothaving to study for them anymore, and now Sora has all this free time…"

Sora was known to study hard. Once exams and tests were coming up he would dedicate every waking moment of the day to studying, even Saturday nights. Not that there was much for him to do anymore now that he was married. Now that Roxas thought about it, he hadn't gone out on a weekend night without Sora or Kairi until he went to the Organization with Hayner.

"Roxas, do you have any mid-terms coming up?" Namine asked, taking a cup from the tray the man had placed on the coffee table in front of them.

"A few, but I've been studying," he lied. Roxas hadn't opened a book all week. Luckily, since his and Namine's classes clashed, he was able to tell her he had been studying while she was in classes when really he was playing Madden. He swore, Namine was like his mother when it came to school.

"Lucky," she sighed. "I have two projects due by the end of next week… I need to get started." She took a sip and watched as a commercial for a new Jack Skellington movie came on the television. "Oh, it's so nice that Halloween's on a Saturday this year. We can go out and do something fun without exams the next day. Roxas, do you have any plans?"

Halloween was next Saturday? "Yeah, I have to help Axel with his show."

Namine pouted. "Aw, but it's Halloween. Can't you ask for that day off or something?" she asked like Roxas had any control over the matter.

"I don't think I can," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head. "But you can come, if you want. Their shows can get a little rowdy, but you can sit near the back." The idea of Namine fitting in with a crowd like the Organization kids almost made Roxas laugh. His fiancée was white collar at the least, and after seeing the front man of the band in the flesh, she had probably come up with some clear opinions of the man herself.

The look on her face at being propositioned to go to a 13 Hearts show was almost speechless. Her eyes widened for a moment, and she glanced to the table quickly. "Well… that's a nice offer, but if you're going to be busy the whole show, it wouldn't be much fun. I'd just get in the way." Roxas knew she'd say no. Namine pointed to the guitar and the amp. "Could you put those somewhere where they aren't in the way?"

Roxas sighed and nodded, cradling the guitar the way Axel taught him to and placing it softly on the feather down comforter in their bedroom. After another trip he placed the amp by his side of the bed and sat on the mattress, picking up the guitar and carefully balancing it in his lap.

The guitar was such a beautiful shade of red. It was the color of maraschino cherries that glittered like the sand in the moonlight. The pick guard was black with numerous scratches and gouges that it was amazing the rest of the guitar wasn't in worse wear. The strap was worn black leather tied securely to the top and base of the body. This guitar was a temple.

Roxas took the tortoise shell pick from between the strings and slowly started strumming. He started turning the tuning keys, noticing that with each turn in a different direction would make the notes higher or lower. He continued strumming and tuning until the sound was perfect.

He started humming to the tune of the strings that he plucked, wondering if he could come up with his own melody the way 13 Hearts did.

"Roxas! Can you try to be a little quieter? We're watching our show," Namine called from the living room. Roxas gave and exasperated sigh, blowing the bangs out of his eyes. He stood and walked to the door, shutting it possibly a bit louder than necessary. Taking his iPod out of his book bag, he put the buds into his ears and sat back down on the bed. Scrolling through the artists, right on the top of the list was 13 Hearts. He had put their music on his player in case he was every stuck on a tram in rush hour and wanted to listen to something new. That instance never came up, so he took the opportunity to listen to them while not disturbing the girls. On the bedside table was the small zine that Fuu had given him last night. Now was as good a time as any to give it a good read.

The cover was of a train with a wizard's hat as a smokestack. Instead of exhaust, there were stars and mystic swirl lines. For such a cheerful, fantasy-driven cartoon, there was a picture of a boy conducting the train with slick black hair that covered most of his face. Under the picture of the train was 'Magic Train' written in bold letters.

On the inside cover, it declared that it was the lucky seventh issue, and for the occasion it would interview seven bands. But first, there was a hand-written letter from the editor.

**Magic Train: vol 1 Issue 7**

_Lucky Number Seven isn't a term you hear often in the rock community. It's not a lucky or blessed number by any means. I don't believe in luck and I don't believe in fate. That's why this zine has made it to its seventh issue. Nothing in life should ever be led by faith and chance. You make it the way you survive (in the same way you're destined to die the same way you live, right?) I've asked seven bands to sit down for an interview and talk about how they started and where they want to go. Hope and wishing never had anything to do with talent, which is what these musicians possess. Enjoy._

_- Fuu Kuroyama_

On the opposite side of the cover, the first page held a short table of contents. The lettering appeared to have been done by painstakingly tearing out individual letters from magazines and newspapers and taping them down. 13 Hearts was the last band interviewed, so Roxas flipped through the bulk of the zine, pausing only to look at the photos of the band with a younger looking Fuu standing next to them.

The picture for 13 Hearts was just Fuu and Axel standing together. The rest of the band wasn't in the shot, but judging from the background and Axel's haggard appearance it looked like it was right after a show. Roxas was amazed at how different Axel looked. His hair was much shorter, where now it was bright red easily reached his shoulders, then it was short and spiked, and in the black and white photograph appeared to be a darker color, although no telling what. He had his lip ring, but it wasn't gauged yet. The most noticeable difference were the diamond tattoos missing from underneath his eyes. If it weren't for the caption 'Axel Rose from 13 Hearts' under the image, Roxas wouldn't have ever guessed they were one in the same.

_13 Hearts: Taking and Breaking_

_After 13 Hearts' seventh performance ever, I got a chance to sit down with rhythm guitarist Axel Rose. He talks about love, live, and his new band._

_F: Welcome.  
>A: You're going to be saying more than one word at a time, right? (laughs) This is going to be the most awkward interview ever.<br>F: Do you want this or not?  
>A: Sure, sure. This is gonna be cute.<br>F: Okay, this is your first interview ever, so I'll be asking the questions fans want to know.  
>A: It's flattering that you think we have fans.<br>F: Where did you meet?  
>A: Well… you know how it happened! We all met in high school, go Traverse Titans!<br>F: How did you come up with the name 13 Hearts?  
>A: Well, it wasn't completely my idea. Your brother's really good at coming up with band names. 13 Hearts kinda has a ring to it, you think?<br>F: The day I believe he came up with a good idea will be the day I die.  
>A: So cute!<br>F: Okay. So you just finished playing your seventh set ever. Do you believe in the luck behind the number?  
>A: What, lucky number seven? I don't really believe in luck of numbers. I mean, I was born February second, so I guess 2 has always been my number. But really, I don't pay attention to stuff like that. I don't know if anyone in the band does.<br>F: What about your bassist?  
>A: Lucky Luxord? Yeah, well, he's completely different.<br>F: Where did you pick him up?  
>A: Somewhere between Vegas and Bastion. We were on the road and he had an 'ANYWHERE' sign with a guitar strapped to his back… I mean, these are the types of things that only happen in movies. We had to pick him up.<br>F: Anything else before we reach the character limit?  
>A: The band is so full of characters we probably reached the limit with our drummer alone.<br>F: We'll save him for another issue. Say goodbye to the readers, Axel.  
>A: Later, punks!<em>

That was all the magazine had to say for the band. Roxas checked on other pages to make sure there wasn't anything else about 13 Hearts hidden in other articles. On the back page there was the publishing date, which was over two years ago. Roxas would have still been a senior in high school then.

All the while he had 13 Hearts playing on his iPod. The music had better sound quality than actual performances, but he still couldn't understand half of what Axel was screaming. He was slightly confused about the interview because it made it seem that Fuu had a brother in the band, but from his personal experience, none of the men in the band were related to her.

The zine was so old that the paper it was printed on was turning yellow around the edges. He wondered why Fuu would give such an old zine to him. As enthralling as this mystery was to him, his eyes started to get heavy and he started to doze off to the sounds of 13 Hearts playing in his ear buds.

"Roxas. Roxas, sweetie, wake up."

After feeling a gentle nudge on his shoulder, Roxas groaned and cracked open an eye. He saw the blurred image of Namine leaning over him. "What's up?" he murmured. "Kairi leave yet?"

"She left an hour ago. You fell asleep in your clothes." Namine, who was already in her nightgown and under the covers, leant back down to her side of the bed and clicked her lamp on the nightstand off. Roxas looked at the time on his alarm clock and noticed it was past eleven. He had spent more than two hours napping right before bedtime.

He stood up and groggily reached for his pajama bottoms that he left in a pile next to his bed. After changing clothes, he started to crawl back into bed when Namine stopped him. "Put them in the hamper," she muttered through the comforter. Roxas sighed and snatched his clothes up from the floor, going into their bathroom and shoving them in the hamper. By the time he got back to the bed, he wasn't sleepy anymore, but it was obvious Namine was. It wouldn't have killed him to sleep in his clothes. Now he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep until much later. Situations like this were what TV Land was made for.

**oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo**

Roxas sat in his seat in the large lecture hall. Today was the mid-term exam for World History, and he didn't study. His stomach clenched with the standard 'you're screwed' nervous cramps.

"You have an hour and fifteen minutes," the professor explained as the teaching assistants walked up each isle and handed out the tests. The students were under strict rules not to flip the paper over to read the prompt for the essay they had to write. After all the exams were handed out, and the TAs had returned to the front of the lecture hall, the professor raised his hand. "Begin."

"Please be about religion, please be about religion, please please please…" Roxas whispered under his breath.

He flipped the paper over and read the prompt quickly.

"_Why didn't the early Amazon River develop great civilizations as did the Tigris, Nile, Huang He, and Indus Rivers? Focus on geo-political, migratory, and biological reasons for cultural development."_

Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT.

Who's bright idea was it to create a World History class? There was way too much history in the world to cover in one lousy semester. Roxas bit at his pen cap while trying to come up with a good thesis statement.

All around him he could hear the sounds of pens brushing against paper, no doubt coming up with amazing arguments with citations and end notes and perfect grammar and _everything._ Roxas barely remembered where the Indus River was on a map, much less what civilization grew near it.

While trying to come up with the perfect opening sentence that was sure to impress his TA so much that she wouldn't have to bother reading the rest of the paper to give him an A, Roxas started drumming his pen on the edge of his desk. He even began tapping his foot where the bass should go. It was a very familiar rhythm to him, because the song was the only thing he had listened to all week.

"Excuse me, you're causing a distraction!" one of the TAs called from patrolling isle down the middle of the seats. Roxas didn't realize he had gotten so loud, but continued anyway, only a bit softer.

_Your affable smirk looked so alive  
>In the darkest day no way to survive<br>I took this deep dive_.

Roxas added another sentence to his essay. Something about the geology of rivers and streams how sediment got transferred. Too bad this wasn't a biology paper. A TA stood and walked to the chalkboard, erasing the time remaining written on it and writing that there was just an hour left.

_Your eyes were the genuine sky,  
>On these glass wings I try<br>To reach you and fly_.

This was the part where the guitar would drop out for a moment before kicking back in with the drums. Luxord would have a heavy bass solo, almost masked by Axel's guitar, but Roxas knew it was there. He tapped the rhythm on his desk while adding another sentence briefly bullshitting some cultural movements that would have happened near the Tigris River.

_You gave your whole  
>I lost control<br>I had your soul  
>AND YOU HAD MINE, FUCKER!<em>

Axel had an amazing screaming voice. Whenever Roxas had tried to scream, honestly, he sounded high pitched and sometimes his voice would crack. This was the point in the song where Axel started shouting and yelling instead of singing, and Roxas wasn't exactly sure what came next. There was another moment where the music instantaneously stopped and left alone Axel's vocals before kicking in again.

_This wasn't meant to last.  
>OH! And when I pinned you to bed<br>When I gave you head  
>With the screams unsaid<br>I didn't know- never known-  
>YOU WERE DEAD!<em>

Before Roxas could stop himself he realized that he had written the lyrics to the song on his exam paper, and he had written in pen. He cursed to himself and started scratching at his blue book madly. He quickly scribbled an anecdote about how the Amazon was situated in a jungle habitat and how that would be unsuitable for human living. Once again, a TA walked to the chalkboard and replaced the one hour remained with a half hour. Did he really just lose a half hour to daydreaming of 13 Hearts?

Now he had an entire side of a page written. He hadn't touched on politics yet. Roxas wasn't as politically charged as his friends Olette and Pence were, but now he wished he were so this essay would be easier. He couldn't tell the difference between Libertarians and Librarians, much less the politics of ancient civilizations.

_Gone! Missing since the moment we met  
>You gave me such a sweat<br>Just one look and I was wet, kid  
>I'll always remember, never forget<br>You pretty little brunette  
>Your blue eyes were such a threat<em>

Axel must have gone through a bad breakup after writing this song. It was 'I Cried My Bleeding Heart Out For You,' which sounded like he was really upset after breaking up with her… or after paying closer attention to the lyrics, _him?_

"Okay, and that's time, folks," the professor called from the front of the hall. The scattered students that were still working on their papers scribbled in their conclusions. "Everyone turn in their blue books. I want to go home." Roxas looked down at his blue book. He was only a page and a half in, and he never brought up a whisper about politics or names of the ancient civilizations. Fucking civilizations…

Roxas wrote a quick note about time constraints at the end of his paper, saying that he tried his best but just couldn't finish with the time allotted. And pigs could fly. He stood and walked down the steps, handing the book to a TA sitting behind a table.

Even though he was positive he obliterated that exam, he was glad it was over. That was his last mid-term for the season, and now he could thankfully sit back and relax on Friday night. Of course, his fiancée had other plans.

"You want to go _out?_" Roxas sighed, looking into her baby blue puppy dog eyes. All he wanted to do was fall asleep on the couch. Going _out_ required Namine dressing him in uncomfortable clothes and trying to find a parking spot. Since it was the day before Halloween, there would probably be more traffic in the club district than usual.

"Please, Roxy? You've been so busy the past few weekends and with testing finally being over it could be a good chance to unwind." _Yeah_. _For_ _you_. "What d'ya say?"

Roxas gave an exasperated sighed and covered his face. "Nams, seriously? I just want to sleep…"

As if expecting that reply, Namine stepped her pout up a notch. "Aw, c'mon. I was out with Kairi last weekend and I bought this scandalous little dress to wear. I'll look so hot with you Roxy, c'mon!"

Roxas almost choked on his spit. "What? _Namine!_"

"Just one night out. It's the least a fiancé can give his fiancée, please."

Before Roxas had a chance to complain again, she scuttled into the bedroom and returned with an insanely short white dress on a hanger. The hem was lined with dainty lace. Roxas was almost certain that if she wore that dress her underwear would peek out even while standing up. There was no way in hell he was going to let her go outside in that.

"Burn it with fire."

"But I thought you'd _like_ it," Namine sulked, losing a bit of gleam in her raspberry blue eyes.

"I do like it," Roxas told her. Of course he liked it, he just didn't want every creep on the street liking it as well. "Can't you wait until next weekend or something?"

She shook her head. "Next Monday I have portfolio reviews. I'll be in the studio all weekend."

Roxas tried to weigh the pros and cons of the situation. If he did go out tonight, he'd have to buy Namine drinks and pay for the covers, which would put him out a lot of money. If he didn't go, he'd be on Namine's bad side and she wouldn't talk to him for days. "Fine."

Namine clapped her hands happily and rushed into the bathroom. "You're the best, sweetie. I'm going to get ready." While the shower water was running, Namine stepped into the bedroom wearing only her towel. She walked to the closet and started rummaging through Roxas' side.

"What're you doing?" he asked warily from the closet door. She turned to him and grinned.

"Picking out your outfit for the tonight! I have the cutest idea!"

Roxas nodded solemnly, trying to hide his grimace from her until he at least faced the opposite direction. "…Great."

**xxxXXXxxx**

I'm so sleepy. So my parents live in town and only a few blocks away from my dentist office. To avoid rush-hour traffic (which is stupid where I live. Like it's something we're famous for, it's so bad.) I stayed at their place last night. My dad is old and apparently doesn't sleep, so he kept me away late and night and then I heart shuffling around the house at 5:45am. I missed my bed and computer so much T_T. The dentist said I clench my jaw when I sleep and it's fucking with my teeth and jawline so I have to start wearing a mouth guard when I sleep. GOODBYE SEXY YOUTH. HELLO MOUTH GUARD. On top of that my appointment started late so I had to _book it_ outta there so I could get to my computer at home and upload today's chapter before driving to work.

And in general upkeep news: I had to do some very minor edits to previous chapters because… I decided to write another chapter. I don't want to say what it's about because I won't really wanna spoil anything, but it has a lot to do with Sora and Demyx and the origins of their weird friendship. It'll fit into the story before the final chapters. I'm excited about it, and I hope returning readers see it as a bonus for putting up with me… It's been surprising a lot of fun writing these characters again.

**/UPDATE FEB 03 2015/ I MADE AN BALLAD-THEME 8TRACK PLAYLIST! A link is in my profile page so check it out!**

So I hope everyone has an awesome week! See you next Monday!


	6. Alien Summer

**In this chapter:** a bombshell is dropped.

**xxxXXXxxx**

**Ballad**  
><strong>Chapter Six<br>"Alien Summer"  
><strong>

**xxxXXXxxx**

The bass was sickening, and so were the drinks. Roxas sat at the bar by himself while Namine frolicked with a girl she knew from her Painting III class back and forth from the restroom to the dance floor. Roxas could only decipher that the ladies had bladders the size of peas. Namine didn't seem to mind, but Roxas glared ruefully at the cup of water he swirled in his hand. The rainbow lights in the club reflected in his glass as he took another swig. Water was free, but the fun wasn't.

"Hi Roxy!" Namine giggled, dragging her friend close behind her. Roxas would have assumed she was the typical rebellious teenager, if she didn't have a fruity, spiked drink in her hands as she approached him. Her hair was a bleached blonde copper color, not as fine and natural as Namine, and her eyes were drowning in black eyeliner.

"Hey! You're her fiancé?" the girl asked. She thrust a small, boney hand into his face. "Larxene."

"Roxas Strife."

And then she gave him that look. He had been receiving it so much lately it wasn't that big of a surprise. "Is your brother Sora?" Roxas ignored the idea that this crack child knew his brother and instead turned his favor back to the rainbow lights swirling in his water. Namine and her little friend gal palled around the club for a moment. Roxas decided that he could really use a stronger drink.

He turned on his swivel seat at the bar, the hour still being young enough so there wasn't a huge crowd, and waved down the bartender. "ID?"

"Listen," Roxas drawled, "I left it in my girl's purse. Can I get a draft on tap?" He tried to wear his best 'please understand, we're on the same level, right?' face. The bartender looked skeptical.

"Sorry, we card under forty," he said, glancing around him to see if there were any other patrons worth his help. An underage brat wouldn't buy anything or tip him.

"Look," the blonde added, holding up his left hand. He showed off the engagement ring that matched Namine's resting peacefully on his ring finger. "I'm married already and everything. I promise you I'm twenty-three," he lied.

"Sorry, guy." The bartender shook his head and moved on to a man at the other end of the bar. Roxas stared enviously at the person who got to drink, his look perhaps remaining two seconds too long. The man turned to look at him, and Roxas thought he saw his lips move in the midst of the dim house lights. He glanced up at the man's eyes and instantly recognized that face. It was that punk from the grocery store!

"Demyx?" Roxas said out loud to himself, a look of horror stricken onto his face. The mohawked boy grinned widely and waved.

"Roxas Strife!" he shouted happily, graciously accepting his drink from the bartender and dropping a few bills into a glass jar near the register. Before Roxas could come up with a quick and clever escape plan, the punk had tracked him and caught up before he could get away. "Hey, man! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here with my fiancée, Namine," Roxas muttered. He never realized how much those two words rhymed. It was like she was made for that title. Roxas skimmed the throngs of people dancing on the floor, hoping to find her so they could leave.

"No shit!" Demyx cackled. "You're _engaged?_ That is so fucking weird. I mean, I'm twenty-four and I wouldn't be caught dead with a ball and chain now. How old are you? Twenty-one? Twenty-two?"

"Twenty," Roxas seethed, hoping for some biblical miracle that would turn his water into vodka.

"AHW! No shit!" he cried. "Seriously? Namine must be a fucking bombshell to knock you out so early." Roxas didn't exactly appreciate everyone making it seem like Namine was trying to cradle rob him. She was younger than he was!

"Oh, hey, I wanted to thank you for passing my message on to Sora," Demyx said, taking a sip from his fruity pink drink. Roxas glared at it enviously. It even had a sword toothpick with a wedge of lemon drowning in sugar. Roxas would never admit it aloud but those types of drinks were the best. It's like a dessert that gets you plastered twice as fast as beer. "He called me back the other day. It was great hearing from him again!"

"Really?" Roxas asked, going from not really wanting to talk to him to dying of curiosity in record speed. "What'd y'all talk about?"

"Oh, this and that. College and life on Destiny Islands, you know?" he took another sip and cringed as it went down. "Ugh. These things are stronger than they look…" _Sure, rub it in._ "But it's such a small world to meet you here! And I had no idea you knew 13 Hearts!"

"You do?" It seemed like a stupid question. A punk like Demyx would obviously know someone like Axel and 13 Hearts. Roxas imagined it being like a secret organization and everybody knew each other. "A friend of Axel's?"

"Yeah! I met him through my buddy Marly. Oh!" He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, crumpled white envelope. Roxas noticed that his name was scribbled on the front in silver sharpie. "Fuu wanted me to give this to you. She said it's important."

Roxas flipped open the lip of the envelope and pulled out another issue of Magic Train. This time the cover was some sort of symbol that looked like a mix between a heart and a fleur de lis. Inside the heart were two strands of barbed wire making an 'X' pattern. Under the symbol was the text _'13 Hearts: Their Epic First Album.'_

This particular issue, number fifteen, was published about a year and a half ago, not long after the seventh issue. From what Roxas could make of the dates between issues, Fuu was releasing her music rag almost every week! He wondered how a girl in college could find time to do this. More importantly, he was under the impression that the album Axel was trying to push now _was_ their first. If they had another one, wouldn't they want to sell it, too? It would seem that his economics class was starting to pay off.

"Thanks," Roxas muttered, placing the zine back in the envelope and putting it in his pocket. Demyx was busy looking around the club, like he was trying to find someone. Roxas took that moment to not-so-stealthily outright stare at him. He was slowly trying to connect the dots, because although Axel told him to talk to Sora about it, he'd rather find a third source to exploit. In Fuu's seventh issue of Magic Train, Axel had made it sound like she had a brother. Although she and Demyx didn't look anything alike, perhaps they were stepsiblings or one of them was adopted. "Hey, Demyx…"

"Hmm?" he hummed loudly. "Speak up, brah, I can barely here you!" Roxas sighed, realizing himself that his voice was getting lost in the heavy bass of the dance music.

"You have a sister, right?" he asked loudly. The blonde punk nodded in response. "Is Fuu your sister?"

Demyx's eyes crinkled as he smiled widely. "What? No, of course not!" he laughed. "Have you _seen_ her? The genetics would make, like, Mendel turn in his grave."

Roxas laughed at the joke. Yeah, it was stupid to think that Fuu and Demyx were related. If Fuu was Demyx's sister, then that would mean that she had a baby recently, and it seemed highly unlikely.

"Besides, you've already met my sister."

Roxas blinked. "I have?"

"I think so. She was running around with Namine. They share a portfolio class together."

His mind was reeling once again. Glancing up, he caught a glimpse of the two blonde girls giggling and rushing in and out of crowds. "Larxene?"

"Yeah, totally! Isn't she a bombshell?" he grinned.

"But- but what about the baby?" Roxas asked, and he knew he should stop himself from sounding like an absolutely prick, but Demyx glanced down at him with a gentle understanding smile.

"He's with the daddy tonight. Larxene agreed to watch the baby on Halloween since dad's gonna be busy with- OH! No fucking way, I love this song!" Roxas' attention was suddenly taken from Larxene's baby daddy to the music blaring from the speakers above them. It was a heavy bass beat in a symmetric rhythm compared to the other songs from before. The melody of the song sounded like it was generated by computers and keyboards rather than guitars. Demyx bit his bottom lip and closed his eyes, a feeling of serious concentration tracing his brow. He bobbed his head to the beat and grinned wickedly. "Dance with me."

Roxas, who was halfway through swallowing a sip of water, nearly choked. Trying his best to save his tragically wounded pride by wiping his chin quickly on his sleeve, he sputtered, "I'm sorry, what?"

Demyx took two long, quick chugs from his drink, finishing it off quickly before slamming it on the counter. He took Roxas by the wrist and dragged him on the dance floor. The younger blonde's plastic cup of water was dropped on the floor to be crushed by the other patrons. Roxas tried to pull away, but Demyx had a surprising strong grip for such a skinny person. However, it didn't feel suffocating at all. "I don't think this is such a great idea." Dancing was always Namine's thing. She would always want him to go, which he appreciated, in a way, but he was terrible at it. Most nights would end with him sitting in a chair guarding purses while his fiancèe and her friends went out and had a good time.

Demyx just turned to him, the same smile plastered on his face. Roxas briefly wondered how many drinks the punk had before the glass he nearly shattered on the bar. The older man had the most crystal clear blue eyes that Roxas had ever seen. His eyes reflected the flashing lights almost exactly like his water. "I just want you to dance," he said almost calmly over the beat of his favorite song. "Dance, Roxas, dance!"

He was grabbed by the wrists again, this time placed fully on the dance floor amongst the crowd of other sweaty people. Around him, bodies slowed and eyes started to stare at him. Roxas stuck out like a sore thumb while he stood still with Demyx dancing in front of him. He took Demyx's shoulder and pulled him closer so he could shout in his ear. "I don't think this is such a good idea!" he nearly screamed. The music was so loud he wondered if the punk heard him at all. He continued to dance with his eyes closed, seemingly not noticing Roxas' unease.

Roxas rolled his eyes and turned to go back to the bar. Maybe if he asked nicely again, the bartender would finally give him a drink. His great plan was foiled when Demyx wrapped his arms around his shoulders from behind. The hair on the back of Roxas' neck froze like an ice cube was dropped down his back. "Dance with me, Roxas," Demyx repeated, a hot whisper into his ear. Under the heavy rhythm of the club music, Roxas had absolutely no trouble interpreting the punk's tone. Demyx started swaying to the beat again, this time hugging Roxas and forcing him to dance as well.

Roxas felt his pulse quicken. The punk's grip was too confining. He was suffocating. The blonde pulled on Demyx's hands, trying to stop them from being wrapped around him. While he successfully pulled Demyx off of him, the punk refused to release Roxas' hands, and instead turned him around so they were facing each other. He still had that stupid smile on his face.

"Let me go!" Roxas shouted.

The taller boy just shook his head. "Dance!" As if it were that easy.

But the music was intoxicating. It wasn't like the fast-paced garage band sound that Axel seemed to have perfected. Axel's version of 'dancing' was moshing. He lived and breathed for his audience crushing themselves with punching and kicking. This kind of dancing was a lot gentler. Roxas remembered when he and Namine were finally old enough to go to clubs like this, they would dance together under the flashing lights and bob their heads to the pace of the music. Even if they did dance together, it usually ended with Namine ignoring him to dance by herself or with a friend she had found. When she did this, Roxas didn't feel like dancing, and he usually would slink back to the bar and wait for her to be finished so he could drive her home.

With Demyx clinging onto him, it was reminiscent of the old times he had with his fiancée. It seemed ridiculous to be so nostalgic over feelings that happened just a few years ago. Roxas couldn't help but let those feelings take over when Demyx pulled him back into the dance circle. Dancing could be fun, it could be a team sport. The punk's smile, although muddle with the effects of the alcohol, was awfully inviting. "Dance with me," he repeated for the third time, and that was the charm.

Roxas wasn't an amazing dancer, and in such a confining space it was impossible for anyone to be. The music was hardcore techno, something that Roxas rarely listened to. Namine had a penchant for synthetic music and the disco while he never really gave it a second thought. But watching the way _Demyx_ would dance to the music was like a completely new experience. He would jump to the pulse of the music and reached down into the very soul of a song. He made it seem like the cold computer generated rhythms had a vision and voice and a meaning, even without lyrics to tell how to feel. The music was like Pachelbel's _Canon in D_, or Orff's_ O Foruna_.

Was it possible to get drunk off of a sound? While Demyx had the help of three or four mixes and shots, Roxas found himself letting loose in a way he hadn't done since Sora first introduced him to Queen in the sixth grade. The music was uplifting, and Roxas wanted to fly with Demyx and share the punk's contagious sense of encouragement and exhilaration. Demyx still held on to Roxas' hands, and the younger boy let him, in fear that letting go would be like losing his only lifeline. He grinned at him, and Roxas soaked up the vision like sunlight.

The song ended and bled seamlessly into the next. A girl's voice echoed through the song, whispering promises of love and broken friendships that came with it. "This is a good song, too. Wait for the chorus." Roxas barely heard what Demyx said over the music.

_No matter how much you tried  
>You could never make me cry<br>So now I hope you'll always know  
>You are my Oblivion Show.<br>Maybe one day you will see  
>Just how much you mean to me<br>I won't ever say goodbye  
>So brace your fears, give love a try<em>

Demyx's hand moved from Roxas' wrist to his hand, gripping it tight and swinging it around as he started jumping. The music started to speed up and everyone on the dance floor started jumping with Demyx.

It was a happy sounding song, but Roxas knew what it meant. Oblivion was just a kinder word for death. Whoever she was singing about was going to be the death of her if they didn't realize her true feelings. In the haze after the song, he felt Demyx wipe his fingers across his forehead, moving his bangs so they wouldn't block his eyes. Roxas looked up at him, noting the look of worry on his face.

"Are you feeling okay? You shouldn't dance with a jacket on." Even though it was cold outside, inside on the dance floor with the body heat the temperature was scorching like summertime. Roxas hadn't even noticed how sweaty he had gotten and how red his face was until Demyx brought it up. "Let's get you water."

Roxas was led by hand out of the dance floor and back to the bar. Demyx waved his hand and called the bartender over. He ordered himself another drink and two waters, one for himself and Roxas. Bartenders at clubs like these tended to not pay attention to customers who only requested water. When the drinks came, Demyx held the shot in his hand limply. "Man, what was I thinking. I don't even want this…" Without waiting for further invitation, Roxas snatched the glass from his hand and downed the shot in one gulp before anybody around to know he wasn't twenty-one noticed.

"I thought you were the DD," Demyx mumbled, taking small sips of his water. Roxas shrugged.

"One won't kill me." Famous last words, but Demyx chose to ignore him when he saw Larxene and Namine approaching.

"There she is," he said happily. Larxene walked right up to Demyx and kissed him on the cheek.

"Abyssus, meus frater!" she said happily, looping her arm around his neck and attempting to wave down the bartender. "Ego reputo Ego diligo Nami!"

"Oh, _okay_, someone's a little drunk…" Demyx laughed, turning around and noticing that the bartender was waiting for Larxene's order. He waved him off. "Es vos sensus bonus?"

"Etiam! Ego sentio superus quam caelum!"

"Quis did vos imbibo?"

"Vinum!"

Roxas felt a little dizzy trying to keep up. He turned to his fiancée and tried not to cry. "Namine, what are they saying?" he whined. She just shrugged and sipped from her virgin bloody mary.

"No clue. I know Larxene took Latin classes at the community college before transferring to Bastion U."

"I didn't think Larxene went to college," Roxas said aloud, but mostly to himself.

Namine scoffed. "Did you even know Larxene before tonight?"

"I knew _of_ her," he shrugged. Seeing Demyx and his big sister standing next to each other, it was really easy to see the family resemblance. "Did you know Demyx?"

"I knew of him," she sighed. "Larxene talks about him a lot. I only really see her in class…"

"Animadverto sit?"

"Nimirum! Sit Sora's frater! Sit malum."

"Non exsisto iratus. Roxas est bonus alio."

"I swear to God they're talking about us," Roxas whispered to Namine, shaking his head. The young blonde girl smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"You're being paranoid." She finished her drink and placed her glass on the bar. "I saw you dancing with Demyx. Did y'all have fun? It looked like you did."

"You think?" Roxas asked. He never really thought about dancing being fun or not. It was usually something he did for Namine, but he always had fun with her. He found himself with the same feeling of enjoyment when it was with Demyx. Of course, he would never tell her this. "Do you want to dance?" he asked, trying to take the topic away from the blonde punk.

Namine shook her head and yawned. "No, it's past one and I'm getting a little worn out." She smiled at him. "And you must be exhausted! Thank you for taking me out tonight, I had fun with Larxene." Roxas wasn't expecting to have as much fun as he did, but dancing with Demyx really made the night for him. Originally they set out in celebration for Namine's finishing her mid-terms. He failed most of his tests, so there was little want for Roxas to celebrate. However, teaming up with Demyx really helped get his mind off school for a while.

His fiancée linked arms with him and turned to Larxene and Demyx. "We're heading out!"

"Bye bye!" Larxene said with a cheshire grin.

Demyx gave a mock salute. "See you tomorrow, Rox!" So Roxas assumed he would be seeing him at 13 Hearts' show on Halloween. Leaving the club hand-in-hand, Roxas and Namine returned to their apartment in north campus.

**oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo**

Namine collapsed into bed and hugged her pillow tightly. She cracked open one big blue eye to glance up at her future husband taking his shirt off and replacing it with a white undershirt with holes in the armpits. "I have no idea why you still wear that shirt," Namine sighed.

"I sleep in it, Nams, I'm not meeting the president in it." He exchanged his black slacks he wore to the club with a pair of disintegrating pajama bottoms. The lights in the bedroom were turned off, save for Namine's bedside lamp, and her lap was covered with the comforter as she read from a novel for one of her classes. Roxas had placed the manila envelope Demyx had given him earlier on his spot on the bed. Before crawling under the covers, he pulled out his newest issue of Magic Train to read before going to sleep.

Namine stopped reading for a moment to look at the stapled together flyer Roxas was reading. It looked like those conspiracy theory pamphlets the junkies liked to pass out in south campus. "What is that?" she asked, putting her book down for a moment and reaching over for Roxas' zine. He let her have it and she flipped through the pages quickly.

"It's a music rag that one of 13 Hearts' groupies makes. Demyx gave me that copy tonight." Namine continued to turn pages, slowing down slightly to look at pictures and read captions and quotes. She turned to the inside front cover and noticed that Fuu Kuroyama did all of the writing for it.

"This is extremely well put together for just one person," she complimented, handing the zine back to Roxas. "Should we invite her?"

"Who?" Roxas asked, turning to the first page to read the letter from the editor. Thinking about it for a moment, he added, "To what?"

"Should we invite the lady who makes that flyer to the wedding?" Namine asked. "And maybe we should invite Larxene and Demyx. We had fun with them tonight."

"But we don't even know them that well. At least I don't know Demyx that great, and Fuu seems like a nice girl, but we can't just invite people just because they're friends of the band." Namine sighed in contempt. Roxas tried to think of a way to explain it in a way she would understand. "Besides, each extra person would be another sixty dollars for food and invitations have already been sent out…" It wasn't that Roxas had an issue with three extra people at their wedding; it was more that those three other people would probably come dressed in black leather jackets with sterling studs. They just wouldn't match with their aesthetic at all.

"I guess you're right," she resigned.

Roxas sighed gratefully, happy that Namine didn't try to push her way. He looked down at the faded, tanning pages of the zine and read the first page.

'_I'm going to share a very personal story with you. When I was young my brother was the only one I had. My mom and dad had split and I was by myself. He was my family. But he got a new family when he created the band, 13 Hearts. The band let me in like their own. I had gained four brothers the day of their first practice. This band means the world to me, and I am overjoyed to announce that the fifteenth issue of Magic Train will be all about this amazing band!_

_- Fuu Kuroyama_

A whole issue about the band! He was in luck. The first few pages seemed to be littered with member bios and interviews. It was perfect material for fanning the flame of any sparking obsession.

The first interview was with Luxord the bassist. It had a picture of him standing with his bass strapped on, fingers placed on neck to form a c-note, and his right arm raised high above the body. The look on his face was of absolute domination as his brows furrowed and his teeth bared. Inside the interview, all the important questions were being asked.

_F: So, is it true that you are on the run from the Vegas law enforcement because you were caught counting cards?  
>L: Now darling, you know that counting cards isn't a crime in Vegas. But some casinos do reserve the right to kick you out if they catch you counting. And it's definitely illegal to use an outside source to help you.<br>F: Outside sources being…?  
>L: Being an imbecilic Uncle Vexen who doesn't know when to shut up.<br>F: So how did you find your talent for the bass? I hear you at practice and anybody who's heard you live will know you're wicked fast.  
>L: Well, when one has to hitchhike in the desert down south, there really aren't that many drivers who will pick up strangers in that environment, right? The bass was a good ice-breaker.<br>F: So how did you find your way in Bastion?  
>L: Axel and Riku were in Vegas celebrating a 21<em>_st__ birthday. They were on their way home when they noticed me hiking on the side of the road. With all the time I spent on the road with professionals like them, I think it's easy to assume that one would pick up some new pastimes.  
>F: Like picking up a bass?<br>L: Uncle Vexen wasn't completely helpless. Before he was arrested again he built me a new machine. It's the same one I've used for all of our practices up through recording.  
>F: What are your opinions about your new album?<br>L: It's marvelous! One of the most amazing things I've ever had my hand in creating. Please help us out and buy it!_

So this opened up Luxord's personality a little bit. He wasn't as humble as Roxas thought he was. He seemed to genuinely appreciate the band, but he didn't seem to be as close to the band as Fuu was. To Fuu, the blood of the band was thicker than the water of the womb. Luxord seemed to have fallen into 13 Hearts by circumstance, but stayed because he got along with everyone so well. Roxas appreciated that Luxord was able to get out of his situation in Vegas and find a good support group along the way. However there was one person in that support group he wasn't familiar with. Who was Riku?

Roxas turned the page and was greeted with a large picture of a hand flipping him the bird. If he looked close enough, he could see the small head of Xigbar from behind with a glower that could liquefy the icecaps. Roxas always thought that Xigbar was kind of an asshole…

_F: That's a pretty impressive scar you have. It's really big.  
>X: I can show a few other impressive big things.<br>F: __**Xigbar. **__Really?  
>X: Haha, sorry, habit.<br>F: I just wanna set the record straight, how did you get that scar? I mean seriously. It's hideous.  
>X: Aren't you just cute? Alright, well I was dating this girl, yah see? She was really into this freaky shit, right? Like body modification, you see. And she had a thing for vagina dentate.<br>F: Oh, my.  
>X: I'll let you do the math.<br>F: I'm not sure I want to. Let's just skip all the superficial bull and go straight into what everyone hopefully cares about more – How did you get your start playing guitar?  
>X: The same way almost every dude gets started. I saved up my allowance and bought a cheap-ass guitar from the pawnshop.<br>F: Are you self-taught?  
>X: I learned from these old videos I got at a garage sale.<br>F: So you managed to get as good as you are by studying from VHS tapes with pawned axe?  
>X: Totally.<br>F: You're a god in my country.  
>X: Your country needs better gods.<br>F: So what about this new album coming out soon? Can you give us any hints about it?  
>X: What do you mean hints? They're the exact same songs we play in our shows.<br>F: Well some people may not have had the privilege of making it out to the Organization.  
>X: Then I can tell you it's going to be wicked hardcore. My solos are fucking boss and Luxord is just perfect. Marly and Axel know what they're doing and Riku's fucking flawless.<em>

That was the second time Riku was mentioned, but Roxas had never heard of him before now. Although Xigbar did seem arrogant, at least he carried respect for his band mates, which Roxas admired. He was surprised that the guitarist was as modest about the music he played as he was. Roxas wondered if Xigbar would let him borrow those tapes he used to practice.

Turning the page, there was a picture of a girl dressed up like a hooker facing the back of the camera. The outfit she was wearing gave it away, with the miniskirt so short that it revealed no underwear under her torn fishnet stockings and the sparkling sequined top. She was yelling at a car and pumping her fist as it drove away. Reading the story next to the image, Roxas had to perform a double take. Wait, that was _Marluxia?_

_F: Good evening, ma'am.  
>M: Good evening, sir.<br>F: So, I wanna ask, when did you first discover you like women's clothing?  
>M: Well, it always seemed soft when I touched it, but I never had the guts to actually wear it. My first girlfriend really had a kink for a guy in chick's clothing, so I sort of did it to impress her. It worked.<br>F: So is she the girl you're seeing now?  
>M: Oh, hell no. She dumped me a week after my junior prom and I never saw her again.<br>F: Then why did you still dress up like a girl after that?  
>M: Women's clothes are comfortable. Plus, my drumline conductor would give me free lessons if I blew him.<br>F: Wow. Okay, so that's how you got to play drums so well, huh?  
>M: And it was pretty easy going after that. I knew Axel and Riku from high school, and they didn't really give me trouble with my ways. 13 Hearts was real small at first. We didn't even really have a band name until we picked up Xigbar and Luxord a couple of years later. For the longest time it was just me on drums, Axel on guitar, and Riku on bass and vocals. It was like a real punk band.<br>F: How did the band change after Xigbar joined?  
>M: The sound changed, definitely. We had a chance to add more melody with Axel on rhythm and Xig taking the lead. And once Luxord joined Riku finally got to expand on his vocal work without have to exhaust half his talent on bass. After we started practicing and playing free shows, we finally got the Organization to back us a little bit and let us use their indoor stage for profitable shows. We're hoping to make more profit with the album.<br>F: Things seem to be going great for everyone. That's good to hear.  
>M: It's a blessing, really. I'm simply thankful to be a part of it.<em>

Roxas was pleasantly surprised by Marluxia's interview. If he ignored the first half of it, it'd seem the drummer was an almost decent human being. He couldn't believe that the boy would trade sexual favors for instruction. Nothing should be worth the cost of losing your pride in such a degrading way. _However_, the nagging voice inside Roxas' head kept prying, what if Marluxia _wanted_ to have fun with the drumline conductor and his pride had nothing to do with it? Plus, if he didn't give the conductor blowjobs for lessons, he may have never been picked up for the band_._ So Roxas forced himself to try to be a little more accepting in that Marluxia's immoral ways led to the creation of something amazing.

Turning the page, he was greeted with an image that almost warmed his heart. It was Axel and some other boy, their arms wrapped around each other's necks. Axel was holding up a 'one' and the other boy was holding up a 'three' with their free hands, and their faces had a faux look of power and supremacy. It was the kind of picture one would take with their best friend.

Axel's look had changed from the last picture that was taken of him. This one seemed more recent. His hair was starting to grow out, and it seemed lighter than in the previous image. Although the photo was still printed in black and white, it seemed that it was a lighter color other than black. The style of labret piercing had changed into something a bit more gauged. He was still missing the tattoos under his eyes, but Roxas could tell that there were some on his shoulders and chest, although the picture was too blurry for him to make out exactly what they were.

And the boy standing next to Axel looked completely foreign and like nothing he had ever seen. His hair was white and paler than his skin, and his almond eyes looked clearer than water. Everything about this young man was perfect. His face was the perfect shape, without a trace of acne or scars, and the perfectly symmetrical lips placed under his perfect nose smirk despite the macho-ness they were trying to achieve in the photo. Although he wasn't wearing a shirt, and his body was covered with a large tattoo, Roxas couldn't help but state the obvious.

"He's beautiful."

"What?"

Roxas glanced over to Namine, brow raised. "What?"

His fiancée shrugged and looked at him in the eyes. "I don't know. You mumbled something just now but I didn't catch it."

He shook his head and returned his eyes to the picture. "Nothing, it was nothing."

Comparing Axel and the boy next to each other brought up some things in the redhead that Roxas had never noticed before. The boy had an almost angelic look about him while Axel had a rogue devilish appearance. He was sure the hair color helped, but there was something about the glint in Axel's eyes, the curve of his nose, the shape of the shoulder blades that all added up to mesh with the boy's looks flawlessly. They looked amazing together, like real rock stars. Roxas couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of the platinum blonde band mate, though he couldn't press his finger on exactly why.

After a few minutes of silence, Namine finished the chapter of her book and found a good stopping point for the night. She closed her book and placed it on her bedside table and switched her lamp off, turning to look at her fiancé.

"Hey, Roxas, are you busy?" she asked.

Roxas glanced at the clock, realizing it was already after two in the morning. He was exhausted and he just wanted to read the zine really quick before sleeping. He looked over at Namine and smiled. "No, what's up?"

"I was just thinking… I know we've been really busy with school and all, and I've been with Tifa and Kairi planning the wedding and you're keeping busy with your… music stuff."

"A-huh."

"And I was wondering… when was the last time we had sex?"

Roxas was at that point in his relationship with Namine that their sexual exploits didn't embarrass him, but the idea that he had to actually think of the last time they made love was nothing short of humiliating. All last week Namine was at school until late getting her portfolio ready for review, and for most of the week prior Roxas was kept up late dealing with 13 Hearts business. All this coupled with the looming stress of midterms didn't leave them in the mood half the time. It had been almost two weeks.

"I feel stupid for asking, but…?"

The look on her face made Roxas' heart melt. Her face was bright red and her eyes were downcast to the sheets of their bed. Roxas should have picked up on this when Namine dressed in her nice silk nightgown in the evening instead of her usual oversized t-shirt. He placed the zine on the bedside table and turned off his lamp. His bride was absolutely beautiful in the moonlight.

"Namine, you are not stupid. You're perfect."

Her round face looked at him, a relieved smile gracing her features as she reached up and brushed her fingers across his cheek. He leaned in closer and kissed her on the lips chastely. Namine was past the point of formalities and willingly opened her mouth to allow Roxas to deepen the contact. Roxas leaned over her and pressed her into the bed sheets.

"Roxas," she panted between gasps as her fiancé moved to ravish her neck. He hummed in response, expecting her to continue. "I love you so much."

"I love you too. You know that."

Namine didn't have the heart to stop him with her reply. However in all honesty to herself, no, she didn't feel like she knew well enough.

**xxxXXXxxx**

I am sooooo sorry guys! My usual routine for updating Ballad involves me copy/pasting the story from my computer onto ff dot net before I leave for work and I _completely_ forgot to do that this morning, so all day at work I had the looming guilt that I forgot to update…

I have some cool news though! I made an 8tracks playlist with music that inspired me or reminds me of Ballad. There's a link in my profile, so go check it out! (I edited in a note about it in the previous chapter, but in case y'all read it before I posted it, I figured I'd let you know…) I have a couple fanmixes planned, but I gotta wait until we get to certain chapters so a song won't spoil anything…

Like always, I love it when you guys follow/fav and leave reviews! Even if it's a simple "keep up the good work" or "omg I can't believe that thing happened" or "whatevs we still hate you for wiping your account" each time I get an email notification that I got a review, it makes my heart race. Also, if you're leaving a review that's asking a question, be sure you're logged in so I can answer it! Thanks guys, and I'll see you next Monday!


	7. I'm Finding It Harder To Be A Gentleman

In this chapter: Roxas finds himself enjoying a meat lovers with extra peppers, whatever that means.

**xxxXXXxxx**

**Ballad**  
><strong>Chapter Seven<br>"I'm Finding It Harder To Be A Gentleman"  
><strong>

**xxxXXXxxx**

Roxas wasn't used to waking up to an alarm on Saturday mornings. He especially hated receiving phone calls in the AM. He grumbled out of bed, stumbling and falling onto his knees as he tried to dig through the pants he wore to the club last night in an attempt to find his cell phone. Namine stirred and mumbled, not yet ready to face the day.

The number on the face of his phone was unmistakable.

"What do you want?" Roxas murmured as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Gooooood morning sweetheart!" Axel proclaimed. Roxas pulled his phone away from his ear at the sound. "Happy Halloween!"

Blinking for a moment to clear his vision, Roxas looked over to the digital alarm clock on his bedside table. "It's barely ten o'clock," he whined, groping to find some pajama bottoms to wear over his boxers. It was terribly cold in their apartment without several layers of quilts and blankets keeping him warm. Namine rolled over to face Roxas with her eyes still shut.

"I think you mean 'Uh, yeah, it's already _ten o'clock!"_

"Baby, can you talk outside?" she slurred in her half asleep daze. Roxas nodded and walked out the bedroom. He closed the door behind him softly.

"What do you want, Axel? I had a late night last night." He figured that since he was already awake, he might as well go downstairs and get some coffee. The blonde threw on his jacket over his bare back and zipped it all the way up to protect his chest and neck from the cold. It was getting to be that time of year when the cold weather really started to sink in the morning.

"We have a full day ahead of us. The band, that is. I was just calling between errands to make sure you had a costume for tonight."

A costume? Roxas was honestly planning on wearing the only black pants he had, which were dress slacks, and an orange collared shirt Namine bought using a gift card Pence had given him for his birthday last year. That seemed Halloween-y enough to save his dignity and not have to leave the apartment like a pirate or a cowboy.

"I haven't worn a costume since the fifth grade. Aren't you a little old for that?" he asked, in an attempt to make Axel not embarrass himself in public tonight as much as possible.

He had a feeling the straightforward redhead and himself didn't see eye-to-eye when he gasped loudly. "_Roxas!"_ he cried. "The most important part of _any_ holiday is taking part in the traditions! Have you never been to the club district on Halloween?"

The quick and easy answer was "No." The year prior Roxas and Namine were busy moving into their apartment (and because of a leap year Halloween had been on a Thursday. Being the brilliant freshman that they were, they had both signed up for eight in the morning classes that had mid terms Friday morning), and the year before that Namine was too young to enter any clubs so they stayed the night with Sora and Kairi playing board games and drinking tea. This was before Sora was really into old horror movies like he was now. He was pretty sure the only thing playing on TV was an old Disney Channel movie. Roxas sighed at his own pathetic social life and decided to spare Axel the gruesome details. "I've heard stories…"

"Then you'd know that you can't step foot into the Organization tonight without wearing a costume."

Roxas sighed, locking the door behind him and continuing down the outside hallway until he reached the stairs. "I'm sure I can scratch something up." Besides, Namine was creative. Hopefully she'd want to help him out by making him a costume. It seemed right up her alley. After descending the stairs and making it to the street, Roxas walked into the coffee house. "Just as long as I-"

"Roxas!"

There was a terrible sinking feeling in his stomach when he heard his name being called aloud and a few moments later leak through his cell phone. He glanced up at the coffee bar and saw Axel and Marluxia sitting on the high chairs facing the front of the cafe. The front man was waving to get his attention, as if it were possible to miss him in the post-morning rush vacant coffee house.

Roxas sighed, not ready to face this trial just yet. He squeezed his eyes shut and bought his cell phone down, snapping it shut before placing it in his jacket pocket. "What are you doing here? Stalking me?" It certainly seemed likely.

"Not at all!" Axel flightily replied. Roxas noticed he was drinking black coffee. And not just any coffee, the darkest roast available. The blonde had to hold his breath so he wouldn't gag over the thought of what the redhead might be tasting at that moment. Perhaps all his tastebuds were dead because of the smoking. Axel turned in the swiveling chairs so that his back rested against the bar. He gestured towards Marluxia, who was drinking plain milk through a straw. "We were just out and about this morning and we're heading to the costume shop right now. Since we're kind of under your neighborhood we wanted to know if you'd come along."

"Shouldn't you be at work?" Roxas asked. All the past times he ran into the redhead outside of scheduled appearances, save for that one time at the movie theatre, it was usually on the tram.

"I asked for the day off. Today I'm going to be busy, busy, busy!" he grinned. Roxas noticed that he was talking slightly faster than usual. That was probably the black coffee kicking in. Axel was going to be a nightmare to deal with today, the blonde was certain.

"And they just _let_ you have Halloween off?" It seemed like common knowledge that anyone with authority – parents, bosses, professors, etc – would go above and beyond the cruel and unusual to make sure that the people under them had the most miserable time on the most pleasurable holidays.

"I usually do late morning and afternoon shifts anyway, so it's not like it's busy on weekends without kids to bus to classes," Axel shrugged. "And, c'mon, have you _seen_ the other tram drivers? Do you think they'd have an outrageous social life?"

If Roxas thought about it, Axel was probably the youngest tram driver he had ever seen. Most of the drivers he had were old, with fading hair, and had attitudes that made them seem like they were cursing your family and future offspring by simply driving their routes.

"So do you wanna come or not?" Axel asked. If having a costume was as big of a deal as it seemed, Roxas would be better off saving Namine the trouble and just renting one out.

He nodded. "Sure. Just let me get coffee and change."

The two rock stars were waiting at one of the tables outside the coffee house. Axel had finished his coffee and Marluxia had swapped his glass for a plastic to-go cup. He still sipped silently from his straw, watching Roxas with piercing blue eyes. The blonde tried very hard to ignore it and turned to Axel. "So, where is this costume shop? I didn't know one existed in Bastion."

"There's a costume shop in every city if you know where to look," Axel stated, pushing his chair back under the table and setting off down the street, Marluxia remaining loyal to his side. "Some of it might not be all ages appropriate, though."

"What? What kind of _costume_ shop are we going to?" Roxas asked as he quickened his pace to catch up with the redhead, trying to hide the panic in his voice.

Axel just laughed and continued walking.

He ended up leading them ten blocks north of campus to a ritzy and unique lane of shopping strips. It seemed like the kind of places Namine would visit, since the place was crawling with gorgeous high class girls holding numerous boutique bags with their cell phones glued to their ears. When he overheard one of them talking about wedding plans Roxas almost did a double take to make sure that she wasn't his fiancée. A few stores down the street, Axel opened a foil-covered door into a small room that smelt like ash and dust.

While his eyes were getting adjusted to the dim light, Roxas heard someone shout across the store. "Axel! _Darling!_ Where have you been?"

A woman with outrageous black and white hair wearing a faux mink coat rushed from between clothing wracks and gracefully curled her fingers under his chin. To Roxas' immediate horror, she guided Axel's head down to peck him on the corner of the lips. The blonde couldn't imagine anyone willingly kissing the vivacious redhead on the lips. He probably tasted like a cross between garbage and STDs.

"Hello Miss D," Axel laughed, patting the woman on the shoulder. He looked past her to the young girl leaning behind the counter reading a magazine. She had beautiful dark skin and long, flowing black hair that was pulled back into a braid. "Hey, Jazz."

The girl looked up at him, her large brown doe eyes traced with black liner and smiled. "Hey, Axel." She waved slightly before returning her eyes to the magazine.

While the strange woman, Miss D, took Axel's shoulder and pulled him towards the counter, Marluxia spoke to Roxas for the first time. "That girl at the counter, Jazz?" he started, nodding his head as she flipped a page slowly. "She's Al's girlfriend, from the Agraballaz. Since you're here with Axel she'll give you a discount."

Roxas nodded in understanding, turning to Marluxia and smiling. "Thanks." He couldn't help but feel that Marluxia had been a little harsh on him since they met up this morning. He hadn't spoken a word and would just stare at him vacantly. The pink haired drummer meandered away from Roxas to look at the spin rack of discount costume jewelry.

Miss D's laughter shook Roxas' train of thought. The woman lit a clove cigarette connected to a long stick and waved it around carelessly between puffs. That was probably why the place smelled like ash. She reached behind the counter, not without shoving Jazz out of the way and nearly making her stumble, and pulled out a paper bag and handing it to Axel with one of those terrible grins that looked more like a disgusted frown.

"Try to have them back by Monday. And _clean_ this time."

Axel thanked her kindly and made his way back to Roxas, holding the bag up and smiling. "We already reserved our costumes earlier," he explained. "Sorry, but it was kind of before we met you. I'm sure there's still some interesting costumes around here that would fit you."

Roxas nodded and started to look around the shop. The floor was filled with circular racks with costumes on hangers. Each rack was separated into a different genre. There was a cowboys section, a renaissance section, even an astronaut section. Roxas tried to pick something that would appropriate for the night. He would be at an underground club filled with hipsters and punks. He would sort of like to blend in a little.

"Hey, Roxas!" Axel shouted from across the room. The blonde looked up and saw the front man holding a pink frilly tutu, tie-up slippers and all. "Eh? _Eh?_"

Despite himself, the blonde cracked a smile and turned his head down, shaking his head. "Dick." He continued to walk around the store until he reached the larger costumes. These were the ones that looked like university mascots. There was a giant bear, a tiger, even a dragon, but those would be completely inappropriate for a hot, sweaty club.

"Can't find anything?" a voice asked from behind him. Roxas almost jumped out of his skin when he turned and saw Jazz. She stood with her hips tilted and her lips puckered, looking at Roxas with a critical eye. "I know your type. Why is someone like you hanging out with Axel?"

Roxas wasn't sure where to take the question to heart or now. "Why? Is being seen with him a crime?"

She shook her head. "No, nothing like that. It's just… He's a little wild and out there, you know?" she asked, pointing to her head. Roxas had to agree. He knew how Axel could be, at least on stage. However from what time he got to know him personally he wasn't that of a wild character, just impulsive. "You seem, like, totally republican."

Roxas chuckled to himself, looking at the elaborate, worn maroon carpet. This girl was able to sum up his entire attitude three minutes after meeting him in the form of a political party. He turned his gaze from the carpet to her. She was a very pretty young woman, and she had her arms crossed under her breasts and her back was straight to make herself seem taller. Even though Roxas was short compared to most boys, she was smaller.

He took a moment to look at the situation through her eyes. A cute girl, obviously liberal, who was dating a musician. She seemed to know Axel somewhat well. Her clothes appeared to be extremely well worn and possibly homemade. Although he usually tried to avoid direct eye contact, he glanced into her brown eyes quickly and noticed that she was still glaring at him critically. So in walks this fellow with khaki pants and an Abercrombie jacket with a punk rocker and an on-again-off-again crossdressing playboy, so a girl was bound to jump to conclusions. Too bad Roxas was an Independent.

"Does it bother people so much?" he asked, laughing incredulously. "I _like_ him, so what?" She didn't reply, but instead cocked an eyebrow. Without saying another word, she walked past Roxas and into the back room of the store.

Axel walked up to him carrying two Nut and Bolt costumes. Roxas stared at the outfits on their hangers and glanced up at Axel. "Ahw, No?" he asked, holding the Nut costume in front of Roxas and frowning. "Hm… It seems like it would fit you even though it's made for a girl." He held it next his face and smiled, as if that would help tempt Roxas into wearing such a pathetic getup. "No? Okay, I'll keep looking." He disappeared again behind the large stacks of clothes.

While still flipping through hanger after hanger, the best Roxas could scratch up was a pair of assless chaps and cat ears with a collar. Most of the costumes that hadn't already been checked out were the extremely sleazy ones that looked like they belonged in pornos more than on trick or treaters. Although he supposed that some of these costumes would be treats for some lucky person.

Roxas pulled out a costume of rubbery black latex that had the breast cups missing coupled with a pleather whip. Roxas couldn't imagine someone like Namine ever wearing something like this. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Axel smiling at him as he was investigating the awkwardly sensual costume. With an embarrassed blush Roxas tucked the costume back with the other dominatrix outfits. That made Axel chuckle aloud, shaking his head slowly and turning back to the costume rack in front of him.

Just as he was about to give up hope, he heard someone clearing their throat behind him. He turned and saw Jazz holding up a tuxedo, completely black. Even the usually white shirt was the same color as the rest of the jacket, but upon closer inspection he noticed that the cummerbund, the bow tie, and the handkerchief in the front pocket were actually a very deep bloody maroon. Without a vest that Roxas was used to wearing over the undershirt, it gave the tux a very retro feeling. The pants were a pencil-thin design, and he noticed the outfit came without shoes.

Marluxia stood next to her holding a simple velvet mask with a small black elastic strap. The mask was the same color as the cummerbund and tie, and had a thick black ribbon sewn around the outside of the mask and the inside of the eyeholes. There were footsteps coming from behind Roxas, and Axel spoke from over his shoulder, "Hey, that looks pretty good."

"It's the last tux we have. It looks like it'll fit you," Jazz tried to explain. "I'm sure you already know this, but in high-society culture, the classiest event is the white-tie. Sometimes color can have different meanings." Roxas nodded along, listening to her story. He had worn a tuxedo several times in the past, most recently for a banquet his father's company held. However, he had never been to a white-tie event. He always assumed that was reserved for people who smoked fancy cigars, wore monocles, and played croquet while discussing the taxes. Reading into the subtle subtext, he really hoped that Jazz didn't see him this way.

"The maroon color emphasizes death, and Halloween was traditionally an ancient Celtic tradition of cutting down crops and killing livestock to reserve food for the winter. To get rid of the bone and flesh left behind they would toss the remnants into a bonfire and dance around it dressed as devils." Since Roxas didn't say anything to outright refuse the tuxedo, she tossed the outfit in his arms. "Nowadays people see Halloween as an excuse to get drunk and dress ridiculously." Bold words for someone working in a costume shop.

Roxas held the tuxedo up to his chest, sizing it up and seeing if it would fit him. He turned to Axel for his opinion. "What do you think? Ridiculous enough?"

Jazz, despite herself acting so cold in front of Roxas, laughed at him. Axel grinned wryly and patted him on the shoulder. "You know, you're all right, kid," he chuckled, taking the mask from Marluxia and trying it on. Roxas followed Jazz to the counter where he gave her his contact information that was inputted into their computer.

"So it's going to be the tux for rent?" she confirmed questioningly. "The mask is for sale only." Roxas nodded and look out his ID so she could copy his driver's license number. "Okay, the rate for a tux is usually fifty dollars a night." That price was a little steep for Roxas. Usually the tuxedos he had rented for prom and special occasions were one-fifty for a week. "But," she added, "Since you're a friend I can cut it down to thirty. All you have to do is return it by tomorrow, and it's a pretty square deal."

Roxas agreed, taking his credit card out of his wallet and paying Jazz. "Thanks for the idea. I definitely wouldn't know what to do without your help." This earned a pleased smile and nod from the girl and she folded the costume neatly and placed it in a paper bag. "So, what are you going as for tonight?"

She looked up at him with a catty grin. "An Arabian princess!"

**oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooooOOOooo**

"So that's one chore out of the way so far," Axel sighed, swinging his two bags of costumes back and forth.

"What else did you have in mind?" Roxas asked. As far as he was concerned, their little afternoon out ended as soon as costume shopping was over. Axel didn't reply, and it took Roxas a moment to realize that he was no longer walking by his side.

Apparently Marluxia had gotten distracted by a vintage shop's window display that had all different kinds of shoes lying under the manikins. "Look at these, Axe," he said, pointing towards a pair of chipped black cowboy boots with orange-red flames and silver rings. They were way out of budget, even for the pseudo rock stars, but they couldn't help but ogle them. Roxas laughed softly and shook his head and crossed his arms.

"Ladies, _please_."

"You read my mind," Axel said, as if himself and Marluxia were on the same wavelength usually reserved for telephone psychics and freaky twins. He opened the door to the shop and entered quickly, followed closely by Marluxia. The door wasn't left open for Roxas, and after a few seconds of waiting, it became apparent that they weren't coming back outside anytime soon.

He stepped inside and was greeted with an old leather smell that was stronger than the ash at the costume shop. There was an underlying moth ball scent weighing it down and it took Roxas a moment to gag and breathe continuously through his nose before he got used to the stench.

"Rox, quick, what's your shoe size?" Axel asked. Roxas wasn't exactly sure if this was an opening for a foul innuendo or crude joke, but looking at Axel picking up random pairs of second-or-fourth-hand shoes and him wonder if the redhead was purely curious.

"Uh… nines."

He grinned and lifted a pair of combat boots. "Wicked. Do you think tens would work? These things lace up so high you won't even notice the difference."

"Combat boots? It's not really my style…"

"So? I told you I was gonna make you my new project. Part of that means that I'm gonna be telling you what to wear when you go to my shows."

"What?" Roxas spat. He turned to Marluxia who was looking at the skirts and dresses. They made eye contact briefly, and the pink haired man just shrugged, but before he turned back to the clothing racks Roxas swore he saw a smirk on his face.

"Look, when you work with us on our shows, you're not only representing yourself, you're representing everything 13 Hearts stands for!" As if he were trying to make a point, he held the combat boots high in the air. "And they're steel toe! _And_ they're only twenty bucks!"

Roxas looked down at his current shoes, his white New Balance sneakers. He supposed that there was something a little darker and punk about combat boots than his only other black shoes, which were the dress shoes. God forbid he make the wrong impression in front of a bunch of fourteen year olds.

"There's a couple of scratches, but we can mark those out with a sharpie…"

Marluxia appeared next to Axel and held up a mid-thigh length poofy, frilly black skirt. "What do you think?"

"Nah, too obvious. You wouldn't be able to hide the shoes. People will be able to see it coming from a mile away. Just stick with slacks. We want to make this as uniform as possible."

Roxas snuck over to one of the bags in Axel's hand and tried to sneak a peek inside. "Are you guys talking about your costumes?" The blonde realized that Axel never said what his costumes was, and from what he saw in the bag it looked like tuxedo jackets just like his. Before Roxas could get a decent glimpse inside, Axel snapped the bags away.

"Nuh-uh," he said, holding up a finger. "It's a surprise for tonight."

Marluxia gave him a 'you are so fucking immature' grimace before he smacked him on the back of his shoulder. "Don't be such a prick, it's not that big of a deal." He turned to Roxas with a patient look. "We're just dressing up as the guys from Ro- _hey!_"

"I'm telling you, it's a surprise. I don't want Roxas knowing about it," Axel explained to Marluxia. The blonde hated it when people talked about him like he wasn't present. He crossed his arms and focused his grief on the shoe rack. "Sorry, pal. But it's gonna be awesome, I swear it."

Marluxia gave Roxas a defeated, albeit indifferent, shrug and returned the skirt to the clothing wrack. The blonde decided to drop the issue and turned his attention back to the combat boots. "Those things look tacky. I'm not buying that," Roxas stated as if his word had any influence over the front man. Before he had a chance to elaborate how he was totally not going to buy those shoes, his cell phone started screaming a terrible keyboard tone version of Wagner's _Wedding March_.

Namine.

She was still asleep when he went back upstairs to change clothes. She didn't know where he was.

Roxas immediately dropped his costume purchase with Axel and stepped out the store. He definitely didn't want the punks shopping for cheap pre-owned clothes to hear the beating he was about to go through. Taking a deep breath as soon as the glass door to the shop hissed closed, he flipped open his cell. "Hey, sweetie…"

"_Roxas, thank God!_"

He knew that tone of voice. _Every_ boyfriend knew that tone of voice. Roxas cringed and forced himself to reply. "…W-What's wrong, honey?"

"_I wake up after a lovely, romantic night and you're nowhere in sight! Where are you?"_

"I'm sorry, Namine. Axel called me and-"

"_Axel?"_ There was a short pause. "_Since when do you hang out with __**Axel**__?"_

_Oh God, oh God, oh God… _Roxas tried to do the math. It was so hard to track Namine's cycle since she started using an IUD. Maybe she was feeling particularly hormonal that morning? Would coming home with tampons and chocolate get him hugs and kisses or a slap in the face?

"_Roxas."_

There had to be a reason for her being so cheesed with him. "Oh, ah- Sorry! It really isn't like that. I'm supposed to be helping him out tonight and they wanted me to wear a costume, so I-"

"_You know how I feel when you dine and dash…"_

Was she being serious or joking? Roxas wasn't sure how to respond. "Namine, there was no dashing. I'm not a dasher," he added a small chuckle at the end, hoping the emphasize that Namine had nothing to worry about.

There was another pause before she continued. "_I know. Just- leave a note next time you plan on going somewhere."_

Namine was the type of girl to leave a note if she was going to the vending machine down the hall. Sometimes Roxas thought it was a little excessive, but at least in meant she was thinking of him. He had a bad habit of not returning the favor, however this wasn't the first time he'd forgotten to leave a note before wandering off for the afternoon without getting a complaint from her. Where was this sudden attack coming from?

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Roxas cringed. "Listen, I'm wrapping up things here with the guys and then I'll be heading home. Do you want me to pick you up something for lunch?"

Namine sighed. "Don't worry about it. I'm going out with Kairi and Ariel to get them sized for their bridesmaid's dresses. I still haven't found a dress to change into for the reception. I'll be out the rest of the afternoon. Have fun with your boyfriends."

Without waiting for a reply, Namine hung up her phone and left Roxas with an annoyingly bleak dial tone. Letting out a ferocious grunt, Roxas snapped his phone shut and forced it back into his pocket.

"You know what we call that?" Axel asked. Roxas turned and saw the redhead and his pink haired partner in crime standing by the door. Axel lifted his hand and snapped his wrist, making the sound a whip being cracked. "That's right!" he said with a grin. Marluxia had a bleak look on his face as he handed Roxas his costume bag and an additional plastic bag.

"What's this?" he asked, looking in the teal plastic bag and seeing that cursed pair of combat boots. "Seriously, guys?"

"Deadly. My treat, for helping us out and everything."

Roxas took another moment to look at the shoes as a form of a gift. He wasn't accustomed to receiving gifts from people. He would buy small tokens of affection for Namine, and he would receive things like gift cards and certificates from Sora and his friends for his birthday and Christmas, but something like this was out of the blue. Roxas shouldn't even be getting anything for helping Axel except the discounted price to play at his wedding reception. He couldn't really think of anything else to say other than "Thanks."

"No problem. I guess you'll need to be heading home now."

"Nah, not really," Roxas sighed, giving a miffed eyebrow raise to no one in particular. "Namine's going out with some of her bridesmaids to get them fitted for their dresses."

"Who's your best man?" Marluxia asked.

"My brother Sora," Roxas explained. There was a slight change in Marluxia's complexion as it went from his usual pale to ghost white. Roxas didn't notice and continued. "I was the best man at his wedding. His wife, my sister-in-law, Kairi is going to be the maid of honor."

There was this moment where you could see the atom bombs exploding behind Marluxia's cloudy blue eyes. Roxas had seen this look on everybody's faces that he had met in the past few weeks. "And your last name was Strife, right?" _Here it comes._ Marluxia glared holes in the sidewalk. Roxas thought for a minute that the fuming drummer would focus his fury on himself, but instead he turned his attention to Axel. "When were you gonna _tell_ me?"

Immediately Axel jumped to the defensive, raising his hands and dropping his brows. "Hey, don't get your panties in a wad, alright? It's not an issue."

"Not a… _Not!_ Axel, this is huge. Do Luxord and Xigbar know about this?" He took a few steps closer to the front man, lowering his voice so Roxas couldn't hear. "Does _he_ know about this?"

"He doesn't have to, it'd kill him," Axel replied in a soothing voice, trying his best to calm the drummer down. Roxas interests were piqued. He assumed they were obviously talking about himself. "It's cool, alright? I'll explain later…" Once Axel was convinced that the pink haired man wouldn't go storming away in a rage of terror, he turned to the younger blonde who had a look of absolute perplexity across his brows.

"Listen, Axel…"

The redhead caught the tone in his voice, and tried to brighten Roxas up as quickly as possible. "Hey, Rox, don't sweat it. Just a misunderstanding, that's all," he lied. If it really were just a misunderstanding then why did everyone seem to hate him and question his brother? "Do you want to go somewhere for lunch? I know this great place around the corner with some of the best pizza." As much as Roxas wanted to further pester Axel about Sora, he was starving and pizza sounded spectacular at that moment. "Just don't get the meat lovers with extra peppers, then you'll a whole _different_ kind of pie."

A drastic change in subject seemed to be what annoying redheaded punks did best. Roxas decided it would be for the best to just take Axel's advice from last week and talk to Sora about it… eventually. Right now his stomach was practically eating itself from only having coffee that morning. "I'm up for it," he sighed, turning to the miffed drummer. Marluxia had apparently received a text and was typing a reply quickly with an angry scowl still on his face. "Marly, are you gonna come with us?"

He glanced up at Roxas and then turned to Axel. "Hey, man. I just got a call. I need to head to the Brick House." Roxas had no idea what he was referring to. The Commodores song? "Is it alright if I jet?"

"Yeah, sure. Be at the Orgy at nine, okay?"

Marluxia nodded as Axel waved him off. The drummer slumped away in the opposite direction that Axel started leading. True to his word, as soon as they turned the corner Roxas was punched in the face with greasy cheese fumes. It had never smelled more appetizing.

"This place is amazing," Axel explained. "It used to be this Greek restaurant that made these special foo-foo pizzas, but then management changed and they make this amazing Chicago style."

From what Roxas could make from the front of the building before Axel ushered him inside, the restaurant didn't even have a name. They approached the front counter together, and Roxas looked at a laminated menu resting next to the register. While he perused what he wanted to order, Axel started hitting the waiting bell over and over again. Normally, Roxas would find this terribly annoying and make him stop. He wanted to see how long it would take to glare at him before he noticed how irritating he was being. Before he could call him out, someone beat him to the punch. Literally.

Someone had come out from the kitchen and smacked Axel in the shoulder, making the redhead stumbled backwards and stop dinging the bell. "Woah! Axel, brah, didn't realize it was you." A tanned boy with sun kissed orange hair leaned over the front counter and rubbed Axel's should as if it would take the pain away.

"Reflexes like a skittish housecat, like always Herc?" Axel turned to Roxas and pointed to the beefy young man behind the counter. "This is young William Hercules, the owner of the place. Herc, this is Roxas Strife, 13 Heart's new roadie."

"Found a replacement for Seifer already?" he asked with a positive nod. "That's great! Do you want the usual?"

Herc pulled out a piece of paper that looked like a receipt and started marking down an order by circling the ingredients from a list. Roxas stepped forward and pulled out his wallet from his back pocket. "I've got this one, Axel."

Herc looked up and grinned. "Nah, kid. This one's on the house."

Roxas laughed and put his wallet back. "It's no wonder you can make a living as a tram driver and a musician. You get everything for free." Axel just shrugged and smirked.

"Okay, it'll be about a fifteen minute wait."

Axel led Roxas to a booth in the corner. Roxas sat in the seat facing the wall, so there wasn't much a view except for Axel's face and the tagging around him. Roxas looked at all the markings. '**Nathan Savage 2k1' 'Tidus 3 Selphie' 'SS + RK' 'Jesus Saves' 'Clash at the Demonhead 1997' 'Johnny X' 'Fight Against' 'DRxGK' 'Feel 'da Titties' 'Destiny Harbor or Bust.'**

"This place has a lot history," Roxas stated, noticing that some of the engravings on the wood of the walls and table were from the eighties and earlier.

"Totally. I've been coming to this place for a long time." Axel turned in his seat and pointed to one that said '**Destiny Harbor or Bust.'** "I made that one there."

"Did you take a road trip to the bay once?" There was Destiny Harbor, and then there was Destiny Island. The harbor was the real tourist destination, while the island was mostly a studying sanctuary with its prestigious university located on the main island. The harbor was an hour away from Bastion.

Axel's reply was a nod of his head side to side. "Eh, sort of. Right after we graduated from high school, me and the band – well, what the band was then – actually moved there for a few years to get our start. We lived there up until last summer when we moved back to Bastion. We started having regular gigs at the Organization and other venues were starting to open up for us and we just couldn't afford gas there and back three or four nights a week."

"What was it like living on the coast?" Roxas asked. He had only visited on day trips. Bastion was a whole different animal compared to Destiny Harbor. While Bastion was mostly high-rises and apartments, as well as a total college town, the harbor was a lot quieter and smalltime. The most mainstream establishment he remembered seeing there was a tattered Holiday Inn motel and a pizza hut that had particularly sandy floors. The bulk of activity on the harbor took place on a sandy peninsula only a couple of miles wide. The last time Roxas had visited was with Sora and his mom and dad when he was a little kid and his parents wouldn't let him out of their sight. It was a boring.

"Oh, you know, wet and wild. Without school or anything getting in the way and all, it was actually a total blast. We'd go surfing almost everyday, play music every night. I mean, it was three years later before picked up Luxord and Xigbar, so nothing really serious came from those first years. Just a bunch of kids having fun."

"How did you pay for all of it?"

"We crashed at a friend's house. His parents were cool with it. Some of the clubs on the coast would hire us as live entertainment, and they didn't pay half bad. I mean, we ate mac and cheese almost every night, but it was survivable. Since everything was like within a mile of each other we could just walk wherever we had to go."

Roxas smiled at the idea of the boys sprinting across beaches and dunes to get to their shows on time. However, the blonde noticed that Axel was being noticeably vague about who he spent these wonder years with. In Fuu's zines it was obvious that Marluxia was one of the founding members of the band, and apparently the enigmatic Riku. Roxas secretly wished that he had finished the article about 13 Hearts in the issue Demyx had given him last night before he spent time with Namine. Then he realized that was a very stupid thing to think about and he shook his head to get the thought out of his mind. Since nobody in the actual band seemed to be aware that Roxas was getting these zines, he decided to keep whatever knowledge he'd gained from the rags a secret and feign ignorance until he figured out what exactly was going on. Sometimes the dark pasts of bands were meant to be forgotten, and it seemed like Axel and the rest of 13 Hearts wished it were the case.

"The only really cool thing the harbor had to offer was this wicked roller coaster that went over the boardwalk. There was this one stretch that took you over the ocean and made it feel like you could fly. But… A couple of years ago there was that hurricane that tore the boardwalk and now that coaster sits snugly in the sand of the bay. Some of it still sticks out during low tide."

Roxas vaguely remembered news stories about that, but never found himself wondering of the aftermath. "Isn't that dangerous? I mean, don't children or something swim there?"

"If Jaws didn't stop Amity then a stupid rusting coaster isn't gonna stop Destiny," Axel deadpanned. He shrugged though, and added, "Well, they buoyed the area off, if that helps."

Since it was none of Roxas' immediate concern, he dropped the issue. "Do you like living in the city again? You haven't been back that long. I bet it's a lot different from the coast."

"It takes some getting used to, but the band is like my family. We've been trying to start over, and I think we're doing a good job."

"You're doing an amazing job."

"Thanks, Rox," Axel said, smiling slightly and turning his eyes towards the table. "That sorta means a lot…" Oh, God, was he _blushing?_

"Axel Rose! Order up!"

"I'll get it!" Roxas intervened quickly, standing up and shuffling out of the booth. Axel didn't laugh when he tripped over himself trying to turn the corner towards the kitchen. As he approached the counter with their deep-dish pizza in a pan, he forced himself to calm down. Axel was a musician so he was obviously bound to be a little most sensitive to praise than the average guy. Besides, even he were… _that_ way, Roxas was practically married, and even living with his fiancée. Isn't there a rule of common courtesy not to hit on someone about to get married?

Of course he was probably just jumping to conclusions. Roxas did that a lot. He took the pan off the counter and took one last deep breath before turning back around. Almost immediately he ran into Axel. Roxas screamed.

"Augh! Roxas, watch out for that, Jesus!" Axel cried, jumping back five feet so the pan wouldn't touch him again.

"Oh, shit, sorry Axel. I was miles away… Are you okay?" Roxas apologized, following Axel back to their booth. Axel shook his head.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just getting napkins. I was gonna ask you the same thing…"

Roxas laughed nervously and placed the pizza in the middle of the table. It was a meat lovers with extra peppers. "I just remembered something, I think," Roxas lied terribly. "And… I guess I forgot where I was. Things can do that, huh?"

Axel nodded and decided to buy it. "Yeah, I guess." Almost instantly his curiosity dropped like dead flies and he turned to the pizza. "This is my specialty. They call it The Rose."

"And why's that?" Roxas asked, taking a slice and painstakingly removing every pepper in sight. Roxas hated spicy foods.

"Ah, no! Don't take the peppers out, it's the best part," Axel explained. "You know that song by Poison-"

"_Talk Dirty to Me_?"

"What? No, no. I mean-"

"_Fallen Angel_?"

"No. Roxas? C'mon…"

The blonde glanced up from his pizza-autopsy to smirk at Axel. "_Every Rose Has Its Thorn_?"

Axel smiled politely and nodded his head. "Yeah. The pizza is delicious, but every once in a while you'll get a spike of something different. Thorns aren't necessarily bad, like dawns or sad songs and stuff. Sometimes it's just different, and that's all anybody ever needs."

"Wow, you're being poetic," Roxas replied with a hint of post-teenage snark. He took a bite out of his slice and continued with a full mouth. "Isn't that song about a guy who had a crush on a friend, and they ended up having sex and it ruined the relationship entirely?"

Axel looked grimly at his slice of pizza on the table. "Yeah. I guess." He picked up his slice and took an enormous bite out of it. "So what do you think?"

As Roxas continued munching on the pizza, he could taste all the different peppers that were mixed in the meat, all the different kinds of cheeses melted into the crust, and the thin layer of sauce separating the two. Even though the peppers were missing, he could still taste the traces of juice that left behind a powerful kick regardless. It didn't taste like the pizza Roxas normally ate, and that was probably why it was so amazing.

"Not bad… for being _free_."

"Hey, hey! Give it a little more credit."

"So who did you have to fuck to get a pizza named after you?" Roxas took another bite and tried to hide the surprise hit of spice that touched his tongue. He took small multiple sips of water hoping that he didn't come off as a wuss. He glanced up at Axel and noticed that Axel right out _staring_ at him, mouth agape. "…What?"

"Did you seriously just ask me that?"

Roxas shrugged. "Well, given your company's track record I sort of assumed."

The blonde had a feeling he was in trouble when Axel narrowed his eyes dangerously. "What sort of track record are we talkin' about here? We like to have our fun, but my crew is pretty clean."

Roxas willed himself to not mention anything about Marluxia's record. After all, if the zine's interview held true, Marluxia wouldn't be half the drummer he was without paying for those lessons _somehow._ Roxas thought back to when he spoke to Rinoa at Traverse. She had told him explicitly that Luxord and Xigbar's words weren't to be trusted, but nothing about Marluxia, other than he was a mystery.

With a stroke of luck, or a stroke of Axel's recurring stunted attention span, the redhead took Roxas' silence as an end to the conversation and turned his head back towards the engraved wall. "And this one, right here," he said, pointing towards a heart with a large X carved through it. The splinters from the wooden wall caused the lines to flake, giving the X a spiked appearance. "Xigbar did that a couple of years ago. That's how we came up with the band's logo. I hired Fuu to make the final illustration for us."

"She's really talented, isn't she?"

"Totally. She makes this wicked little magazine thing. Maybe you've heard of it, it's called Magic Train?"

Roxas smiled. "I might've heard of it…"

"It's been going on for ages, man. I don't know how she does it. She's so amazing." Roxas looked up to Axel at that moment to see the look on his face. His eyes were still staring longingly at the ex-ed out heart carved on the wall. Roxas wasn't used to the redhead looking so distracted.

To get his attention back, Roxas reached his arm across the table in front of Axel's thin nose and snapped twice. "Hey, wanna stop thinking about your little girlfriend? Some of us are trying to eat."

Axel couldn't help but grin at Roxas. "Nah, it's not like that. She just reminds me of someone I used to know."

The young student was so distracted during finals, and although he should be studying physics, geology, or definitely history, he couldn't stop wrapping his brains around 13 Hearts and this weight that seemed to be holding them down. "And who's that?" Roxas asked.

"Refill?"

Axel turned and saw a stout, bearded, and all around rather hairy man carrying a pitcher of ice water. If possible, the redhead's smile intensified. "Phil! It's great to see yah."

"Yeah, yeah. Like you don't come in every week and rob me blind."

Axel let out a snicker and turned to Roxas. "Rox, this is Phil, the manager while Herc is away." He turned to the man and point to the blonde. "This is young Roxas. I'm teaching him the finer points of rock 'n roll lifestyle."

Phil snorted, rolling his eyes and dumping water into Roxas' cup. The man's arm was shaky and seemed to get more water out than in. Roxas tried to clean it up quickly before it rolled off the table and into his lap. Axel placed his cup closer to the edge of the booth so Phil's stubby arms could reach his cup without stretching. Roxas felt like an ass for not thinking about that as well, but Phil didn't even seem to notice.

"What? Like getting free food is a lifestyle? Hell, I shoulda tried dis a long time ago. Take Axel Rose's class on swipin' and swindlin', right?" he laughed, and it sounded more like a phlegmy car trying to start. Roxas covered his food in case oncoming gunk happened to attack. Phil's breath smelled exactly like his grandfather's after he had been smoking cigars with his boss when they were celebrating a big business succession. Phil certainly seemed chipper, though. "Got any big plans for Halloween?"

"We have a show at the Organization tonight. Roxas and I were just picking up our costumes." Axel made a nod towards the bags resting on the seats between themselves and the wall.

"Really, now? Gonna dress up on stage? As what?"

Axel winked and shook his head. "Can't say. I actually had to pay Miss D to _not_ talk about it to the customers." At this point Roxas was wondering if Axel really knew so many people that letting someone find out about his stupid Halloween costume was really going to matter that much. If there was one thing to know about this redheaded punk, he had a penchant for the element of surprise.

Phil laughed and playfully punched Axel in the shoulder. "Well, alright kid. Have fun tonight." He turned to Roxas, pointing at him as his fuzzy, huge eyebrows rose. "And stay safe, y'here?"

Roxas nodded, letting Axel close up his end of the conversation as Phil walked away. Axel took another bite from his pizza and checked the digital watch he had strapped to his wrist.

"Aw, crap," he said slowly. "I didn't realize it was almost two-thirty. Xigbar gets off work in a half hour and I promised I'd meet up with him to drop off his costume." In an amazing feat of consumption, Axel shoved over half a slice of pizza into his mouth and started gnawing it is.

"Wow." Roxas couldn't help but stare. He had sauce dripping down the edges of his cheeks that would gather at the point of his chin. At one point a drop of grease clenched itself away and landed on the table. Almost half the breaded crust was sticking out of his mouth, and the more he chewed down and swallowed the pizza the more of the crust he forced in with his palm. Roxas shook his head and tried to pull his eyes away from the almost hypnotic sight. "So, what kind of job does Xigbar have?" And immediately he kicked himself in the ass for asking a question given Axel's current state of gorging.

"Ees om mufic pheechur."

Oh, a music teacher.

Roxas' brow rose as he thought about it. So Xigbar worked with children? What kind of parent would leave their kids with him? Axel was able to finish the rest of the pizza surprisingly quick, and he used his napkin to wipe off the sauce and grease that had gathered around his mouth. "Sorry," he said sheepishly, checking his reflection on the shiny, waxed surface of the table. "But yeah, he works at this music store close to Y.S. High teaching kids guitar. It's kinda like a Rock School." Axel left the booth without explanation, leaving Roxas alone for a moment.

There was still over half a pizza left in the pan, and Axel returned with a pizza box. "You're getting it to-go?"

"_You_ are, hopefully," Axel replied. When he saw the look on his face, Axel tried to smile wider. "C'mon, Rox, please? I can't carry the costumes and the pizza and I know Xigbar won't eat it. I still have to bus hop all the way back to my apartment and get set for tonight." He did have a point, and Roxas did live in walking distance to this shopping district. Although he was sure Namine wouldn't want the pizza in the apartment. Every since she got sized for her dress he had been determined to eat like a vegan until the honeymoon.

A meat lover's pizza would be like inviting a dog to live with a cat. "Sure," Roxas sighed, taking the box and his small bag with his costume. "I need to start getting set for the night, too. What time should I get there?"

"No earlier than nine. The set is at eleven."

"That's a little late, don't you think?"

Axel shrugged. "The real club scene doesn't start until after midnight. Since we're a regular set, our shows are usually used to lure people into clubs to drink and stay for the touring gigs later in the night."

"I wasn't aware of that," Roxas said. For how popular 13 Hearts was with the kids, you'd think they'd be headliners instead of openers.

"Well, that's just how it works at the Organization, but you've never stayed long enough for the later gigs." He was, of course, referring to the first night Roxas had ever seen them live. He had walked out just as their set was over, not even waiting for Axel to finish that last song, even if the audience was doing most of the singing for him. Although Roxas was still upset at the way Axel had treated him during their first meeting, he felt equally embarrassed for the way he had reacted. Axel was being more than hospitable towards Roxas, and he saw them as easily being on a truce.

Possibly even friends.

That last thought gave Roxas more than enough to think about as he munched on a slice of pizza on the walk home from the restaurant.

**xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**

Rest assured, Roxas and Axel won't be just friends for long. Next week is the Halloween chapter, and people who've read this before know what that means.

I just finished KH 2.5 yesterday (lots of gross sobbing and face-in-hands moments) and started playing Birth By Sleep. I'd never played it before and I'm so excited to know what's gonna happen. My PSP was broken and I didn't own a 3ds so I didn't get to play any of the games that came out after KH2 (except for 358/2, but I feel like it doesn't count that much, it felt more like character expanding than story expanding). I've seen a lot of gifs of cutscenes, but it's nice to finally put voices to faces. I freaking love Aqua. It's so nice seeing a woman in the KH universe being assertive and actually fighting T_T. And I love Ventus' attitude, he's so spunky. I really only just started. I'm on Terra's story and just left the Sleeping Beauty world. It took me a little bit to figure out the menu but I think I got the hang of it. It looks like getting munny is a _lot_ easier in this game than KH2 (I don't know why but I felt so broke all the time in that game. I was always rationing my potions because I couldn't afford them...) I share a house with two other girls so it can be hard to find time when the TV's free so I can play… but they've been understanding of my rebudding obsession.

Reminder: I have an 8tracks playlist for the first few chapters of the story! You can find a link in my profile page!

And, as always, please leave a review! I love reading them, even if just a few short comments or long, rambling paragraphs. Lay 'em on me! And if you have any questions, make sure you're logged in so I can respond! Fav/follows are rad too!


	8. Halloween

**In this chapter:** It's Halloween, this day anything goes.

**xxxXXXxxx**

**Ballad**  
><strong>Chapter Eight<strong>  
><strong>"Halloween"<strong>

**xxxXXXxxx**

Roxas entered his apartment, finding it empty just as Namine promised. He sighed and placed his keys on the hook next to the door and hung his coat in the closet. There wasn't so much as a note to let him know when she'd be back, which he supposed was payback for earlier. It was just after two, so he had seven hours to kill until he had to be at the club. He collapsed on the bed and decided that maybe a nap would be the best way to pass the time.

He lay on his side of the bed, waiting patiently for sleep to overcome him. Blue eyes focused on the ceiling, particularly on a crack that was forming across the top of Namine's side of the bed. His wondering on how that had gotten there, because he was sure that it wasn't there yesterday, was cut short when he remembered something immensely more exciting. Right next to his lamp, placed strategically behind his alarm clock so Namine wouldn't mess with it, was Fuu's zine.

Taking from where he left off, Roxas took another moment to just stare at the picture of the two boys. He didn't understand exactly what was so intriguing about seeing them together. Pictures of people from the past could tell the most interesting stories. There was a sign in the background that read '_Seaside Acres'._ He hadn't heard of that place when he had come to visit with his parents and Sora.

Axel had that catty grin on his face that Roxas liked. It was a nice grin that symbolized no ill will, the one that Roxas usually received when Axel was in one of his giving moods. Today was a perfect example. He still had that same smile when Roxas ate his pizza and when he was given those stupid combat boots. Roxas wanted to see this picture in color. He wanted to know if his hair was the same fire engine red that it was now, or something completely different like ash blonde or even green. He seemed like the kind of guy who could never keep the same hair color too long. The only thing Roxas wished was that the focus on his body wasn't so blurry. The main purpose of tattoos was to tell a story, and he wanted to know what Axel had to say.

If tattoos did symbolize an archaic form of storytelling, he wondered what this boy would have to say. So this was _Riku. _This was the lead singer of 13 Hearts' first lineup. He certainly looked the part. Hidden under long bleached white bangs were eyes swimming deep in black makeup. He noticed on the bridge of his nose, in the fleshy area between the eyes, were two metal balls. Squinting his eyes and turning the picture slightly, it looked like it was a _piercing_. Although there was no one there to see it, Roxas was sure the color in his face paled. Who would do that to their face? After meeting Axel, Roxas was accustomed to lip rings and tattoos, but such an outrageous stunt pulled right in the middle of his face? Riku must be afraid of nothing.

There was also something about this boy that was infinitely intriguing. Despite the tattoos and the ghastly piercing, he seemed like the kind of boy Roxas would want to sit next to and just talk. Talk about the band, about his relationship with Axel, about why he left… Under the picture was the question and answer with Fuu that was split between them.

_F: Axel.  
>A: Riku's sister.<br>F: Riku.  
>R: 'Sup?<em>

Roxas stopped reading there. So Fuu _did_ have a brother in the band, so to speak. He felt like her giving him these zines had a new meaning. She wanted him to know more about her brother. He took the next words to heart.

_F: So, what's next for this budding group?  
>A: We're thinking about touring some local places to pimp the new album.<br>F: Is there a name for this thing? I'm tired of calling it a "new album." I mean, I live with this dickwad and he won't tell me anything.  
>R: It's called "The Past Life," bitch.<br>F: Asshole.  
>R: Hag.<br>F: Pubes.  
>R: Cunt.<br>F: Fag._

Roxas' mouth dropped at the language. Fuu must really care about her brother a lot to print a fight like this in a zine that was delivered across the town, and who knows where else.

_A: Don't you wanna know what kinda songs will be on it or something?  
>F: Sure. I guess.<br>A: Well, there's 'One Last Embrace' and 'Kissing in the Dark with Boys'  
>F: From personal experience, I bet.<br>R: Basically it's most of the songs we have on our Bandcamp and play live. We have a few new songs that we never put on the site though.  
>A: Like 'O2 Moron,' that one's kinda like this poppy punky garage bandy kind of sound about revenge. And then there's 'Fourth Travesty' which is a little bit darker and more metal than most of our songs, and it's a really resonating melodic piece that Riku and I wrote. And there's my favorite 'Last Night in Andalasia,' which is a love ballad.<br>F: A love song?  
>R: Jeez, shut your face! The kids aren't interested in every little detail of a song. There's nothing really special about it…<br>F: Let the record show that my brother is flustered.  
>A: I dunno about that, Ri. I think it's pretty cool.<br>F: So what other special features will be included in your debut album?  
>A: The album will come with a special booklet with some behind the scenes pictures.<br>R: Basically us just jerking off.  
>F: Oh, so nothing new, then?<br>A: The basic package looks really nice and really sharp. I mean, you designed the cover and everything.  
>F: But I'm still trying to approach 13 Hearts from a nonbiased point of view.<br>R: And you're failing miserably. Any other questions?  
>F: When you were born did mom drop you on your head?<br>R: Fuck you.  
>F: Butt monger.<br>R: Asspile.  
>F: Shit-streamer.<br>R: Snot tampon._

That was where the interview stopped. Roxas turned to the last page of the zine and found only a picture montage. Briefly glancing over the words again, he wondered if that was really all they had to say. From what he discovered about Riku, the tattooed punk had a standard brother-sister relationship with Fuu, and he didn't like to talk about the music at all.

Deciding that there was no hidden message to read between the lines of Axel and Riku's interview, Roxas decided to look at the montage at the back of the zine. Photographs capture a person's inner soul, right? There was no better way to find out more about the soul of 13 Hearts.

Inside the menagerie of images was a photograph of Luxord and Xigbar smiling. The pose in the photograph wasn't that hideously uncommon. The bassist had his arm wrapped loosely around Xigbar's neck and shoulders. The lead guitarist had his long hair, which was usually tied back into a low ponytail, splayed over his shoulders and it was covering most of his face. That didn't stop the fact that there was an almost warm smile on his face. A side of his lips was obscured by a hand holding a simmering cigarette limply. It was one of the first time he had seen Xigbar smiling, and he looked almost friendly that way. Roxas hoped to see more of it in the future.

There was another picture of Luxord looking chill as he strummed on his bass on a tattered old chair. A close up of Marluxia's face as he smiled with a drumstick between his teeth like a rose. An over-the-shoulder shot of someone, possibly Axel, going over a set list for the night's show.

There was one photograph, a larger one in the bottom left corner was of the entire band, all five of them, on the beach. Axel stood farthest to the edge, wearing aviator sunglasses with his thumbs digging into the elastic waistband of his board shorts. Xigbar stood next to him looking down and kicking the sand. Luxord was in the middle, eyes squeezed shut without sunglasses to protect from the glare of the sun. Marluxia was next in line, but he was crouched down digging a hand in the sand. He was pulling his shirt out by the hem and placing a collection of shells in it. Lastly, on the farthest right, was Riku. His back was faced away from the camera towards the sea, and he had a six string acoustic guitar strapped to his back, a Fender Dreadnought Cutaway.

There was another photo of Axel playfully reaching out to the camera, one of him singing into a mic during practice, and one of him jumping on stage while playing guitar during a gig. There were a few photos of Xigbar being generally unpleasant, but in most of them Luxord was close by to keep him in check. There was one photo of Marluxia putting his make up on. Roxas could see the reflection of his face in the mirror he was using to apply, and the one hand that wasn't trying to apply eyeliner was flipping the camera off. In the reflection he could also see the person taking the picture, Riku.

One thing Roxas noticed, with a hint of aggravation, was the complete and total lack of a decent picture of Riku. With the exception of the photograph of him and Axel together for their interview, there weren't any other photos of him in the montage or anywhere else in any of the zines. Perhaps Riku was the one behind the camera for all these pictures. The interview with him revealed little or no information, and to that effect Roxas realized that he wouldn't know what to look for to begin with.

The idea of there being a different singer besides Axel in 13 Hearts was what really intrigued him. The redheaded punk, in Roxas' opinion, was the only person to carry the band's heavy sound. From what Axel had described it, as 'poppy' and like 'love ballads,' it sounded nothing like the way the band's sound was now. When Roxas thought back to when Axel was showing him his guitar collection, he remembered him saying that their sound had changed when he willingly handed over the red Fender for Roxas to practice with. It was the same guitar Axel was playing with in the pictures of him jumping onstage during a set.

The blonde looked longingly at the guitar gathering dust in the corner of his room. He hadn't had much time to practice, especially since Namine didn't want him playing while she was doing homework, or planning for the wedding, or watching television, or basically any time she was inside the apartment at all. Axel had been busy preparing for later tonight, and now that Roxas thought about it, he was a little tired and wanted to sleep before the set. Before his eyes slowly lowered to drift off, one of the zine pages propped open to the picture of the band at the beach. Axel really did have a nice smile.

A nap was exactly what Roxas needed. The insanity of the rush afterwards, however, he could have lived without. The blonde had a very sick feeling in the pit of his stomach when he cracked open his eye and realized that the sun had long since set and he could hear trick-or-treaters laughing and running outside. Instantly he sat on his haunches and pulled back the curtain over his bed. The streetlights had lit up and there was already drunken people meandering down the street.

The clock read eight-thirty and Roxas had to be at the set at nine. Tripping over himself and covers while trying to scramble out of bed, he limped into the bathroom and turned the faucet on quickly. While waiting for the water to heat up he rushed back into the living room where his costume for the night still laid folded up in its bag. He took it out and noticed that there were fold creases in the pants and jacket. Taking the tuxedo back into his bedroom and tossing them on the bed, he forced the ironing board out of its closet hiding place and successfully knocked down the pole that held up most of Namine's blouses on hangers.

"_Fuck!_" he cried aloud, tossing the ironing board with a loud clang into the bedroom and tried to pick up Namine's clothes. Once finished, he grabbed the iron off the top shelf of the closet and placed it on the ironing board. He plugged it in and rushed back to the bathroom where he had left the water running for far too long. Shucking his clothes that he had slept in off his body, he jumped into the shower and bit back a scream at how hot the temperature was. He turned the knob for the hot water all the way to the right and spent the rest of his three-minute shower in a frigid downpour. Only having enough time to suds up and wash down quickly, he jumped from the shower and toweled off and continued to iron his tux.

Laying the anally perfected costume on the bed, Roxas quickly dried his hair and gelled it up the way he was known for. First, he found an old pair of black socks that were a size too big and hung loosely around his ankles. The freshly pressed slacks were next, and he had to put up an all-out fight against those pencil-thin pants to force his feet through them. This was followed by the black button-up shirt and the maroon cummerbund. Roxas blessed whomever decided to use a clip-on bowtie for the costume and strapped the thing around his neck. Lastly was the jacket, which fit better than Roxas would have ever imagined. Digging into the bag he pulled out the last piece of the costume, the mask.

Standing in front of Namine's full-length mirror that hung on the back of the bathroom door, Roxas was a little stunned. This was his first time wearing a costume so… sinister. Before he decided that he was too old for costumes, he had gone as a prince, a dog, even a Power Ranger, but this was different. The costume, although a rental, fit amazingly, and even the pants didn't feel too tight once he got them on properly. The black tux was definitely slimming, and the maroon accents added a hint of darkness for the holiday. He strapped the elastic band of the mask around his head and placed it over his eyes.

There was a line of skin surrounding the eyeholes in the mask that Roxas couldn't help but find distracting. He flipped the mask up to rest on his forehead and glanced at the clock. He had ten minutes before he was supposed to be at the club, so since he was going to be late no matter what, a few extra minutes wouldn't really matter. At the same time, he felt like he was doing something inherently wrong to his manliness. Not that Roxas was the most masculine person compared to his other friends, but he still had certain level of self confidence that he could hold himself above other men, or specifically the guys of 13 Hearts. He slowly crept into the bathroom once again and pulled open Namine's makeup drawer. He didn't really know what to expect when opening it, but he flinched just in case bats or evil spirits tried to attack him.

Somewhere between the cave of base foundation and the hollowed forests of nail polish bottles was a small trove of eyeliner. She had so many different colors, most of which Roxas wasn't aware she wore around her eyes. He shuffled through blue, purple, green, brown, even white sticks until he came across the black. He looked closely in the medicine cabinet mirror and studied his eyes carefully. Trying very hard to steady his hand, he brought the tip of the eyeliner pencil to the lid of his eye. The makeup was cold and made his eyelid twitch, making it impossible to draw a straight line. Since he was wearing a mask, most of the misplaced lines would be covered anyway so he kept stroking.

Not simply satisfied with the chalking look the eyeliner left behind, he found a small tub of black powder, _eye shadow_. Taking a small brush and scrubbing the powder with it, he splashed it over his eyelids blindly and took a step back after he was finished.

He looked like a ghoul, which would normally be very disconcerting, but very fitting for the night. He placed the mask back over his eyes and enjoyed the look of the black blending perfectly with the black ribbon outlining the mask.

Suddenly, he remembered that he was running late and cursed again, running back into the bedroom and realizing it was already past nine. Rushing into the living room to rush out the door, the cold feeling of the tile seeping through his socks reminded him of one crucial detail: he had no shoes.

Roxas didn't want to wear his expensive Italian black dress shoes to what was sure to be a wild night. All his other shoes were brown or white and wouldn't match the suit at all. He was reminded of the pair of combat boots Axel had bought for him earlier that afternoon, and they were still resting peacefully in their plastic bag on the couch. Roxas glared at them as he took them out, wondering if he really had to wear them. They still smelt like the feet of the last person who wore them. Glancing at the clock, he sighed, realizing that he really didn't have the time to debate. It took him more time to lace up the damn things than to put the eyeliner on.

Once they were strapped on, he didn't have time to second-guess his appearance as he rushed out the door and downstairs to the nearest tram stop. Normally, he would feel very ridiculous in this getup, but the tram was filled with a bunch of people his age dressed in costumes ranging from the outlandish men as Spartans in short skirts to the outrageous girls dressed like angels wearing bikinis.

Roxas tried his best to ignore the people already wasted and plastered and the terribly erotic moaning coming from behind the throngs of people inside. On the fourth stop, along with Roxas, the rest of the bus filed out onto the club district that was already crowded with college students in costume.

The blonde in disguise walked down the grubby street quickly towards the only club he had been in. There was a long line waiting outside the Organization again, very similar to the line the first night he visited only at least twice as long. The end of the line disappeared around the corner and out of sight. Much like his first time, he bypassed all of the people waiting in line and approached the bouncer. It was the same man as before, Cid.

"Hey, kid!" he said happily. Roxas paused and looked behind him cautiously, making sure he wasn't talking to some other person in line. He hadn't seen Cid in nearly half a month and even then it was just an acquaintance. "The band told me to expect yeh. Hands up!"

Roxas held up his hands like he was a criminal, but the bouncer just rolled his eyes and pulled his wrists down so he could mark them with large Xs. The young blonde sighed in defeat and the bouncer held the door open for him and he marched through. Inside everything was exactly the same as when he first visited. The same bartender stood behind the counter, ready for another round of kids too young to drink trying to slip him fake IDs. There were similar scene kid talking around the walls of the club and sitting on the benches smoking cigarettes, wearing sunglasses even though the sun had set and they were indoors.

Roxas noticed Squall standing behind his table that he had already set up in the back of the club. Before he even reached the sound booth the tall brunet had noticed him and nodded in recognition. "Hey."

"Sorry I'm late," Roxas sighed, adjusting the mask covering his eyes. It was a very foreign feeling that he hadn't gotten used to yet. "I'd fallen asleep and forgot to wake up, I guess."

He shrugged and started unraveling wires that led to the speakers. "The doors don't open for another half hour. You're good."

"Do you need help with that?" Roxas asked, gesturing towards the large coils of cords he had wrapped around his shoulders.

"That'd be great, actually," he sighed, dropping the cords to the floor. He picked up the male end of the wire and pointed to the green tag taped on the end. "It's not brain surgery. You go behind the speakers and plug this into the outlet with the green arrow on it."

When he took the cords onstage to the back of the speakers, he saw that there were dozens, possibly over twenty outlets each with a different color or number corresponding to them. There was only one with green electrical tape pasted in the shape of an arrow pointing to it, so he plugged the cords into that, repeating the process for the other three speakers that towered on the edges of the stage.

When he was done he returned to Squall's sound booth. "Make sure they were in there nice and tight?" he asked. Roxas nodded and the older man handed him three microphones and stands. "Good. Put these onstage. The red one is Axel's."

One of the microphones had red electrical tape wrapped around it. The mic looked well traveled and beaten, and the tape seemed like it had more than one layer of use on it. There were some strands of faded and dirtied red tape sticking out from under it, giving the impression that this mic had been around for years. Roxas set Axel's mic up first in the center of the stage, and the other two generic mics where he figured Luxord and Xigbar would be standing. Squall had started taking a roll of duct tape and was securing the cords from the speakers to the floor. While he was busy doing that, Roxas explored the area behind the sound booth. There was a large black case with metal rims and corners that carried all of the electrical cords in a very anally retentive organized way. He took out the three microphone cords and returned to the stage to plug them into the mics. Once Squall was finished with the duct tape, he took Roxas' role.

"I'll finish this part," he said, nodding to the green room. "The guys are still getting ready. Get their stuff for me."

Roxas wasn't exactly sure what he meant. "Stuff?"

"The guitars. The amps. The drums," he said shortly. "Get the drums first, those are a bitch to set up."

Roxas nodded and rushed to the green room. He could hear the voices of the band coming from inside, and not wanting to interrupt, he knocked first. Marluxia was the one that answered the door, originally with a harsh scowl that softened at the sight of Roxas. "Oh, it's you." He opened the door wider and let Roxas come in. The room was pretty much the same as the first time he was in there, when he and Axel had their little "chat", except this time there was a rolling hanger cart with their clothes hanging on it.

Marluxia, Luxord, and Xigbar were all dressed in their Halloween costumes for the show, which were tuxedos just like his only the traditional black and white colors with tails on the jackets. Their makeup was a little heavier than normal. At least, it was normal for Marluxia, but even Luxord and Xigbar were wearing blue eye shadow and red lipstick for the occasion. Roxas figured it was just part of the stage makeup and chose not to question it.

"I need the drums so I can start setting up," Roxas stated. Marluxia nodded and rushed over to the cart, pulling it aside and revealing cases upon cases of musical equipment. He handed Roxas a huge, stout cylindrical case and a slightly smaller one. He made them look so light, but once placed in the blonde's hands he grunted and nearly fell forward. Marluxia didn't seem to mind as he snuck back to the door to open it for him.

"Are there a bunch of people outside?" he asked, sounding a little nervous. Roxas thought this was a bit out of character for the same man that had acted so coldly to him earlier in the day. However, he supposed that pre-show jitters got the best of everyone.

"It's pretty tight. You're in for a good show," Roxas said with a smile. Marluxia looked at him for a moment and returned the grin. When he stepped outside the doors had apparently been opened and the room started flooding with people in costume. Thankfully, Squall took the drums from Roxas and started assembling the set himself. Six trips later Roxas had gotten the bulk of the instruments out of the room, out of their cases, and onstage resting on their stands. Making one last trip to the room, he noticed that there was one merry man missing from the troupe.

"Where's Axel?" he asked, picking up the last small bag that held an extra mic stand, just in case. Throughout all his trips he made in and out of the green room, he had seen the three of them pacing around inside anxiously but the normally incessantly present redhead was nowhere to be seen.

"He's, like, somewhere in the back, or the bathroom, or something. He's getting changed into his costume," Xigbar murmured from his seat on a rusted folding metal chair. Even he appeared to be tapping his foot nervously on the linoleum floor. "He's taking fucking forever."

Roxas nodded slowly, wondering if he should go into the men's room and check on the frontman. He would need to help with the setup, first and foremost. He made several trips back and forth getting all the equipment out of the greenroom, which he guessed was locked in there for safe keeping. On his last trip, getting Axel's guitar, there was a knock on the door before he could leave. The three band members jumped at the sound and none of them made a move to answer it. Roxas looked at all of them nervously and opened the door. It was Squall.

"You're on in five," he said to Luxord, Xigbar, and Marluxia. He pointed a finger at Roxas. "You. Newbie. I need you at the sound stage now." Roxas nodded and tried not to trip over his size-ten steel-toe boots. Before leaving the room he turned to the band.

"Are… you guys okay? Honestly, I'm not used to seeing you so nervous."

The three of them, who had seemed to have their eyes glued to the floor, instantly snapped their heads to look at the young blonde. Luxord shrugged and was the first to talk. "We're just not used to a stunt like this."

"Well, some of us are," Xigbar replied, rolling his eyes. Roxas wasn't sure what to make of that, but Squall called for him to hurry so he rushed out of the green room and closed the door behind him. The club was a lot more crowded than it was when he went to see them earlier. He looked over the audience to try and see if Fuu was around, but with everyone in costume it proved to be impossible.

"ROXAS!" came the overly ecstatic voice from across the noisy club. The blonde looked up and saw Demyx waving at him from behind the 13 Hearts merch booth with, speak of the devil, Fuu. Roxas grinned and walked over to them. Demyx was dressed in pants, a sweatshirt, and gloves that all had a skeleton print on them. He had a plastic skull mask attached to the side of his head so Roxas could still see his face. Fuu waved, wearing a shimmering purple tank top and a shredded black skirt. Attached to her back were a pair of glittering black fairy wings.

Demyx was waving like a lunatic and had a smile to match. "Roxas! Hi!"

"Hey Demyx. Hiya Fuu."

"Hi."

Roxas turned back to Demyx and pointed to the table. "So you guys are manning the booth tonight?" He noticed that there were a few new stickers sitting next to the box of albums. "These are kinda cool," Roxas said, pointing to the stickers. There was one in the shape of a heart that was filled with a flame, a giant '13' in black in the middle. The other was their logo, the heart/fleur de lis combination with the barbed X in the middle that was the same as their first album cover.

Demyx snatched one of each and all but forced them into Roxas' hands. "Take one! I'm sure Axel won't mind."

And speaking of the mysteriously missing redhead, "Do you know where he is? It's not like him to be scarce before the show…"

Demyx gave Roxas a catlike grin and leaned over the table. He pulled on the lapel of Roxas' coat to bring him closer and almost kissed his ear. "You're under strict instructions from Axel tonight," he whispered hotly. "_Enjoy the show._"

At that moment three giggly high school girls approached the booth to buy albums. Roxas heard a shrill whistle from nearby and saw Squall had reached his perch on the sound stage, which was positioned a few feet above the audience. The man was motioning for Roxas to join him. He climbed the two steps to reach him and looked at all the knobs and switches that Squall was tweaking. "Do you need any help?" he asked, not wanting to touch anything with out his explicit consent. He was taken by surprise when the man shook his head and looked to the stage. "Then… why did you call me here?"

"The show…" he answered. "You get a better view from here."

Although the sound booth was far away from the stage, it was high enough to get a perfect view of the action going on below. The audience was starting to spark up and creep slowly closer to the stage. Squall put on a pair of headphones with a small microphone connected to it. He spoke softly into it and couldn't be heard over the collective murmur of the audience, but once he stopped talking the lights in the house over the dance floor dimmed.

Shuffling through the crowd, Luxord, Xigbar, and Marluxia walked onstage in their tuxes, strapping on the guitars that Roxas had left waiting for them. Lots of shouting and applause ensured, including a lot of the girls popping their heads up above the crowd searching like meerkats for the elusive fourth member.

Once the audience's cheering settled, Luxord stepped up to the mic. "Good evening everyone," he spoke with his slight accent rolling off his tongue. Roxas was happy to see that whatever nervousness possessed the band in the greenroom seemed to disappear while they were onstage. They were true performers. "Let's get started with one of my personal favorites…"

Xigbar started with a short riff before Luxord started singing a song Roxas wasn't familiar with. "_Bonfires burning bright, pumpkin faces in the night! I remember Halloween! Dead cats hanging from poles!"_

The audience seemed to enjoy it. Some of the goth kids were dancing together or in groups. It reminded Roxas of a very twisted high school dance, everyone dressed to the nines and just having fun. "_Little dead are out in droves, I remember Halloween! Brown leaved vertigo where skeletal life is known! I remember Halloween! This day anything goes!"_

Luxord continued singing and when he was finished the crowd cheered and chanted for more. During the break between the songs, Roxas noticed Squall doing some mad tweaking on the sound stage. "What's going on?"

"The next song," Squall mumbled almost too lowly for him to hear. "It has pieces that the band plays and pre-recorded parts that I play. I need to make sure that my timing is just right or else the song will be off and the music won't sound as good."

Roxas found out what he meant when big band music started coming from the speakers. There weren't any trombones or trumpets on stage so it must have come from Squall's sound booth. The brunet looked angrily towards the ceiling of the club where a small catwalk was placed over the stage. He grabbed the mic connected to his headphones. "For the love of God, it's your last night tonight. Just try not to fuck up and get your shit together," he stated loudly and angrily. Roxas saw a shadow move back and forth on the catwalk. There was someone up there tweaking the stage lights.

The big band music, with accoutrement of 13 Hearts, rose up and amounted for a huge, booming voice to echo throughout the dance floor. Nothing could have prepared Roxas for what was about to happen.

"_How do you do. I-_" It was definitely Axel's voice. It was cut off by another burst of brass. "_See you've met my- faithful handyman…"_

At that moment, a spotlight from the catwalk flashed on and was aimed towards the back of the club. Everyone's attention turned towards the back entrance, where stood Axel. His cherry red hair was the same as always, but along with it he wore the darkest shade of red lipstick Roxas had ever seen on a man. His eyes had not only the usual eyeliner, but black eyeshadow that reached all the way up to his brows. His body was hidden behind a large black cape.

"Is he… _seriously…_"

"_He's just a little brought down because, when you knocked, he thought you were the… candyman."_

The audience dispersed, leaving an aisle straight to the stage. Axel started marching down it. "_Don't get strung out by the way I look! Don't judge a book by its cover!_" He got on stage with the largest grin plastered on his face that Roxas had seen to date. The redhead was just suicidal.

"_I'm not much of a man by the light of day… But by night I'm one HELL of a LOVER!"_

The cape was dropped, along with Roxas' jaw. There stood Axel, wearing a black front-laced corset that barely covered his chest. Roxas always knew Axel was a little skinny, but the corset seemed to show off every weakling muscle he had. He was no Tim Curry, but he could hold his own. The blonde almost didn't want to look, but it was inescapable. It was _Axel_ in _briefs_. No matter how much he tried to focus on something else, hopefully the way the light reflected on the bass drum when it was beaten, or how costumed patrons were still filing in, but his eyes always gravitated back towards the damn briefs. The blonde could feel his face heat up the more he tried to avoid him. He was thankful that the dim lighting hid his cheeks, but he covered his face nonetheless. Axel completed the look with long black shiny gloves and fishnet leggings, topping it off with the most gaudy, glitzy white pumps known to man. The heels had the exact same effect on his legs as it had with women. It made them look long and gorgeous.

Needless to say, the girls in the audience _screamed_. Roxas had to cover his ears as the pitch reached that point where it couldn't get any higher and the sound was starting to give him a migraine. Squall next to him was lucky with the cushy earphones he was wearing. He had put the background track on pause until the audience calmed down. He lowered the level of the portable mic that was connected to Axel's cape.

The front man took his taped red microphone and continued. "_I'm just a sweet transvestite from Transsexual…"_ He took his mic stand and placed it between his legs. Roxas felt the blood drain from his head to pool at his stomach. "_Transylvania… haha!"_

There was another pause in the song, and Luxord and Xigbar unclipped their guitars while Marluxia placed his sticks down and stood up. Once there was a moment where the background music stop for a brief second, the three of them grabbed the front of their tuxes and pulled. The fronts tore off and the backs fell to the floor limply. They had rented trick tuxedos from the costume shop, and under their suits at been outfits similar to Axel's. Being in that outfit, Marluxia beamed at the audience and waved while the other guitarists felt completely exposed. Luxord quickly reached back for his guitar and strapped in on again for some kind of cover. Xigbar followed suit and even lengthened his strap so it would cover his crotch. The crowd released a deafening scream once again.

"_Let me show you around, maybe play you a sound. You look like you're all pretty groovy. Or if you want visual…"_ At this point Axel bent down slowly and touched his toes with the tips of his fingers, little by little standing straight again while letting his fingers traipse up the subtle curves of his body. "…_That's not too abysmal, we could take in an old Steve Reeves movie."_

Xigbar stepped up to his mic. "I'm glad we caught you at home. Could we, like, use your phone?" he spoke, coughing nervously. Xigbar was used to screaming the echoed lyrics that Axel sang, but actually having a speaking role was completely different. "We're both in bit of a hurry. We'll just say where we are then go back to the car… We don't want to be any worry."

Roxas laughed to himself. If Xigbar was playing the part of Brad Majors, that must mean that Luxord was his darling wife. The clever change in their makeup was ingenious. Roxas never guessed that this was their big plan.

"_Well you got caught with a flat, well how 'bout that! Well babies don't you panic! By the light of the night it'll all seem alright. I'll get you a satanic mechanic!_"

It was the chorus again. Axel took his very surprisingly well-toned and flexible leg and wrapped it around the mic stand. Roxas smirked and leaned against the railing of the sound booth, watching him as he grinded himself against the thin metal pole. The little burlesque act was one of the most campy and erotic things he had ever seen.

"_Why don't you stay for the night… Or maybe a bite? I could show you my favorite obsession._"

Axel took his microphone off the stand and sauntered over to Luxord. He walked behind him, and with the help of the pumps he was able to stand a few inches taller. Axel's long fingers once again were used to trail over skin as he traced the bassist's bare shoulders and stood very close. He spoke into the mic while simultaneously whispering into Luxord's ear. "_I've been making a man with blonde hair and a tan, and he's good for relieving my… tension_." Axel lowered the mic and licked the side of Luxord's face. It was very quick, and the blonde bass player didn't seem to be expecting it and he laughed, nudging Axel away with his elbow. The audience screamed.

Then it was the chorus. Axel ambled back to the center of the stage and delicately placed his hand on the corner of his mouth. "_Hit it! Hit it! I'm just a sweet transvestite!"_ He placed the tips of his fingers on his lips and let his tongue dart out and lick the tips. "_From Transsexual…"_ He let Luxord and Xigbar shout 'Transylvania' for him as he seemed completely enraptured by his own fingers and started an all-out suckfest. Roxas leaned in further from the booth. Axel finished his little show and continued with the song. "_So come up to the lab, and see what's on the slab! I see you shiver with antici…"_

There was an unnecessarily long pause and Roxas was on the edge of his seat. His heart raced nervously when Axel looked towards the sound booth and they made eye contact. He winked. "_-Pation!_" He turned back to the audience and smiled. "_But maybe the rain isn't really to blame. So I'll remove the cause, but not the SYMPTOM!"_

The crowd cheered and Axel lost his Tim Curry façade, his face loosening up and he grabbed a towel from one of the amps behind them and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Roxas wished he could get closer, but Squall reached out and pressed his hand on the blonde's chest and pushed him away from the railing.

"Get any closer and you'll fall off," he commented. "And wipe the drool."

Roxas instantly reached to lips but felt nothing. Squall was just chuckling at him and he realized he was kidding, but he felt sort of trapped. He would never drool for Axel, _never._

"Thank you, Bastion!" Axel said happily. "I'm gonna bare it all to you for a moment…" The audience laughed and the front man chuckled along with them. "Okay, so there's this… friend. And he's, like, totally close to me, y'know?" He walked passed Xigbar and sat on one of the speakers. He crossed his legs, and Roxas couldn't get over how overwhelmingly feminine they looked. Axel started twirling the cord on his microphone between his fingers before continuing. "And, I dunno what to do, because, y'know, my friend's a _dude_. So what do you do when you reach that point in the relationship where you can't be in the same room with him anymore without want wanting to corner him?"

The crowd cheered, seeming like they knew what Axel's monologue was leading to, and Roxas was a little nervous about where Axel was going with this. "Capture him?" He reached his free hand above him and clinched his fist, shadowing the movement of pinning someone's wrists against an invisible wall. "Take him?" The audience had just about enough. "Lover Fucker Man," he stated, turning behind him to pick up his black guitar with the white pick guard that was used for a more metal sound. Marluxia clapped his drumsticks together and started the sound off with an intense drum solo. Xigbar kicked in with his guitar licks, finally feeling comfortable in his element of hardcore music. The pace was quick and repetitive. Luxord walked the bridge between the drums and the guitar while Axel added his two cents in where appropriate.

"_Since the beginning, you dreamt of leaving, and since the beginning all I wanted was you!_" Roxas remembered this song from the album on the mp3 player. It was one of the faster ones where Axel liked to scream more than usual. For some reason, seeing them live cleared the complexity in the lyrics. "_In the car, the bed, the wall, your head. On a hill in the sunset, but never out of your closet!_"

From above the crowd, Roxas could hear them singing along. It was such a fun night that Roxas couldn't help himself. "_Remember the position of this particular situation that led to your rather sad disposition? Did my fist up your ass clear your intuition?_" Roxas hummed along, laughing despite himself. It was such a ridiculous song, but the ridiculous evening was putting him in good spirits.

"_Don't lie!"_ Axel screamed. "_You're such a faker! You loved it! I loved it! It was… YOU!"_ He then continued to pant and wail erotically into the mic.

Roxas turned to Squall and tapped his shoulder. The brunet lifted his headphone and turned to the blonde expectantly. "Um… Are their shows usually so… sexually charged?" Granted, Roxas hadn't exactly been to a lot of 13 Hearts shows, but from what he'd heard they were never like this.

Squall just rolled his eyes in response and pointed the punks below. "Look at them. They're a bunch of kids who want to get lucky. You can't blame us for wanting to set the mood." To make his point, he pulled down the house lights, spoke into the mic and glanced up to the catwalk. The house lights pulled down completely and rainbow-rotating spotlights started spinning around the stage.

The song finished and they started up with 'Revel Boy.' Roxas looked down from his perch at the band as they played their hearts out. Axel would reach out into the audience and enjoy the embraces and outstretched arms waiting to be touched. More than once that night, Roxas noticed Axel glancing up towards him, although he couldn't tell if it was because the redhead knew he was there or just by coincidence from the front man staring blindly into the spotlights. In the very back of Roxas' brain, back where his most private and personal thoughts nested, he hoped it was the prior.

**oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo**

"Everyone? Okay, we're nowhere near finished yet, but we've been rocking hard and steady-"

"Like your mom!" someone shouted from the audience.

"-And we need a little break. It's not easy to perform in heels." Axel laughed and he clumsily tried to move down the small steps to the dance floor. A young man wearing a beanie and a 13 Hearts shirt let the front man use his shoulder as a support while he made sure nobody got too close. Axel was a local success, but he wasn't to that point of having rabid fans. Yet. The audience was well behaved as the he made his way back to the greenroom followed by the rest of the band.

Squall had taken his headphones off and stretched. "Who's that guy?" Roxas asked, pointing to the man who had helped Axel off the stage that was now leaning against the wall next to the green room door.

Squall blinked. "That's Seifer, the old roadie whose spot you're filling while he's in school."

"So is this why I didn't have to do anything tonight?" Roxas asked. Although he was enjoying the show, he felt like he should be a little more help to the band. He looked behind him at the merch booth, and the line had gotten exponentially longer since Axel called for a little break, but Demyx and Fuu had a two-person system of getting people's orders together that would have just been complicated if a third wheel got mixed in.

"If you want," Squall suggested, "you could go visit them and see if they need anything."

Roxas liked that idea. He hopped down the stairs to the sound booth and between the throngs of people waiting in line for merchandise and those who remained loyal to try and get closer to the stage. He walked right up to the door and was about to knock when a hand forcefully pushed him away.

"Whoa, whoa, _woah_. Hang a sec chickenwuss, you should know better. Beat it." The old roadie Seifer looked down on him before keeping watch again, expecting the younger man to just leave.

"I'm supposed to be here. I'm Roxas, I've been taking your place for the past few weeks." Seifer brought his attention back to the blonde and raise a brow.

"Proof?"

The brief, short remark caught Roxas off guard and reminded him briefly of Fuu, and he wondered if he and Fuu knew each other. Reaching for his wallet he pulled out the only thing that had helped him in the past. Seifer stared at the business card that Tifa had given Roxas weeks ago and raised a brow that disappeared in the brim of his hat. "So? What's this got to do with anything?"

Thwarted, Roxas settled in for another challenge. "Look, I've been helping them out for a while now, they know who I am. I'm giving them a hand to help pay them to play at my wedding reception. Everyone knows about it. Nobody told you?"

For a moment, Seifer almost looked like he sympathized with young Roxas. "Look, the band gave me very explicit directions not to let anybody in. Their break isn't that long and they want to rest. Not talk to little chocobobutts like you."

"Choco-_what?_"

At this moment the door opened and Axel peeked his head out. "Seifer, what's-" He cut himself off when he noticed the dark and shadowy figure standing next to the door. "Roxas?"

The blonde took off his mask and let it rest on his forehead. Axel didn't wait for him to reply, and instead took his arm and pulled him into the greenroom. The redhead gripped Roxas by the shoulders, holding him back at arm's length and grinning. "You look fucking _hot_. And you're wearing the boots!"

Roxas felt his face heat up but decided to blame it on the temperature of the room. If at all possible, Axel was dressed even less than when he was onstage. The corset had been thrown onto a folding chair, so he was wearing only his black briefs and fishnet leggings. Pulling his eyes back up quickly to avoid embarrassment, Roxas pretended to have been occupied with Axel's numerous tattoos. He was surprised to realize that most of the markings on his body were words. There was a statement he tried to make out on Axel's ribcage just under his left pec, but the redhead had cleared his throat and turned to talk to Marluxia about their next song. Roxas averted his eyes to Axel's face, which had been in the middle of removing makeup and now most of the gaudy dark lipstick and black eye shadow was smeared across his face like he had just been thoroughly ravished.

The rest of the band seemed to be in various states of undress. Xigbar had come the farthest. He was already wearing a black shirt and jeans with the rest of his costume lying in a pile on the floor. Luxord had lost the bottoms and replaced them with dark brown shorts. He asked Xigbar for help unlacing his corset top and the guitarist unwillingly agreed. Marluxia was the only one who wasn't in a hurry to change outfits. In fact, he stood in front of the cracked full-length mirror in Axel's pumps checking out his butt in the costume.

Axel stepped away to the hanger rack that was in the back of the room to pull a black undershirt. Roxas got a brief chance to see his back before it disappeared from under the clothing. A large koi splashed up the front man's spine with flame shaped scales, and the water was an epic woven masterpiece of words inked in blue spreading the entire length of his back before it faded parallel to his hips. It was engraved in Roxas' memory forever.

"Okay guys, dropping trou!" Axel exclaimed. While the rest of the band whined and turned away as quickly as possible, Roxas was naïve and caught sight of Axel's butt. There were tattoos on _that_ as well. The redhead was quick to pull on a pair of faded skinny jeans, jumping and pulling on the belt loops to get them comfortable. "Okay, I feel ready to face them again," he said, looking refreshed once he was finally out of his costume.

"Not like that, I hope," Luxord commented, Xigbar still attacking his back trying to get the knot to his corset undone. "You look like you've just come out of the backseat after a five dollar whore."

Axel looked in the mirror again, noticing all the makeup he had missed cleaning up the first time around. "Don't be ridiculous," Marluxia commented, walking up to Axel with a warm paper towel. "Whores are too good for you." Gripping the redhead's jaw like a mother would to her child, he started wiping away at his face to try and get the remnants of lipstick gone. After a few seconds Axel had clearly had enough and he took the paper towel and shoved him away.

There came a knock at the door and Seifer shouted "_Three minutes_!" from outside. Xigbar cursed and tried to pull harder on the string holding Luxord's costume together.

"It's not coming off," he told the bassist, whose face noticeably paled.

"_What?_"

"I can't get the knot to come undone. It's, like, stuck." The bassist, not usually one to panic, started tugging at the corset to get it too come off. However, such is the nature of this beast, it was tied on tight to make him have a womanly hourglass figure and refused to budge.

In a ditch moment of desperation, the bassist turned to Axel and frowned. "I'm not going out there like this."

Axel bit his lip and tried to come up with a way out. He turned to Marluxia who was reapplying eyeliner in the mirror, still in full costume. "Are you going to change?" he asked the drummer. The pink haired man glanced to Axel's reflection and shrugged.

"I feel comfortable, there's no need."

Axel turned back to the bassist while pointing to Marluxia with a lopsided smile. "See? You won't be the only one out there like that…" But Luxord looked stupid standing in the greenroom with a flashy woman's corset and men's shorts. He already had his normal socks and sneakers on. "Well, have you tried just throwing your shirt on over it?"

It was worth a shot. Luxord had a thick white shirt, but not thick enough to obscure the fact that he was obviously wearing a black corset under it. "Dammit…"

There was another knock. "_You guys ready?_"

Roxas tried to think of a quick and easy way to solve this problem. "The jacket!" he exclaimed. The band turned to him like they had forgotten he was even in the room. Roxas took Luxord's tuxedo jacket from the back of a chair and held it out to him. It was held together with velcro and snap-buttons, so the tear-away aspect of the jacket could be done repeatedly. "You can wear the jacket to cover up the corset. Just be careful not the rip it open again."

In a rush, Luxord slid the vest on over the shirt and then the jacket. He looked at himself in the full-length mirror with the rest of the band crowding around him. A tailed tuxedo jacket paired with board shorts and sneakers? Fancy yet punk. Brilliant!

Finally, there was one last knock on the door before Seifer opened it. "Okay, ready? Squall says you're back on now." Marluxia was the first to head out, followed by everyone else.

Before going out the door, Luxord turned to Roxas and smiled. "Thanks."

Roxas waved him off and wished him good luck. Axel stayed behind and turned back to the short roadie. "Listen, Rox, you didn't have to help us…"

"Will you just stop?" Roxas asked. "I like helping out the band. It's fun. Don't ever hesitate to ask me for help with anything."

Axel laughed, taking his hand into Roxas' hair and mussing it up. "Never thought I'd hear those words from you."

"Will you cut that out?" Roxas griped, but it was all in good fun. "What are friends for?"

This was the turning point. Axel paused, but before he could have a chance to say anything Seifer gripped his shoulder. "Axel, _now_. Everyone else is already onstage." The redhead nodded and sent Roxas one last positive smirk before disappearing through the door. Meanwhile, Roxas stayed in the greenroom and listened to them perform their next song from the muffled echoed sound of the air vents. He calmly started to pick up their sweaty costumes from the floor and folding them up nicely, wondering what exactly he was getting himself into.

**xxxXXxxxXXXxxx**

So I guess, technically, Halloween continues on into the next chapter too… We're getting to the point where I'm going to need to start actually naming the chapters so the numbering won't be thrown off when we get to the B-Side chapters. Originally all the chapters were Queen songs, but rather than try to recreate that, I think I'm gonna name them songs that inspired or are referenced in the chapter. So, by the time you read this, most of the chapters will (hopefully) have names, and from this point on they'll have names too. For this chapter, it's "Halloween" by the Misfits, which is the song Luxord was singing.

I'm stuck on BBS right now. It's still hard finding time to play when I have to split the tv between two other roommates (and one of them is still in her first playthrough of Dragon Age so whenever her boyfriend comes over with the PS4 I know I'm not gonna get any playing in that night v_v;). Still in Terra's story though, but I'm stuck trying to beat Braig. I'm level 30 and he always kills me without really trying. I feel like such a pushover T_T; Still in love with the voice actor though. Xigbar's one of my favorite Organization members (one of the big reasons why he's in 13 Hearts and not someone obvious, like Demyx). Anyway, hopefully sometime this week I'll be able to report that I beat Braig and will move on to complain about another boss I can't get past.

AND AS ALWAYS please leave reviews! I love reading them and they really help encourage me to continue doing this little passion project. Follow/favs are rad too! I got a lot with the last chapter update and I'm hoping the trend continues~!


	9. 30 Century Man

**In this chapter:** Roxas makes a bold decision, and will stick with it for the rest of his life.

**xxxXXXxxx**

**Ballad**  
><strong>Chapter Nine<strong>  
><strong>"30 Century Man"<strong>

**xxxXXXxxx**

Roxas was not a naïve person. Most of that genetic trait from his mother's side of the family was endowed on his brother. Shifts and changes in his emotions never went undiscovered by the blonde, which was why he found it odd that someone like _Axel Rose_ of all people was quickly careening down some sort of comradeship highway with cut brakes. This was not usual for any of his friends.

It took Roxas two years to accept Olette, especially after the bunny-on-shoe incident. However, he was also six at the time. It didn't take much for Pence to prove himself to be a good friend. Roxas had supposed he'd be a survival friend, one of those kids you befriend at summer camps or in the dentist waiting room to make the time go by faster. Roxas never complained when he happened to stick around for the rest of high school. And with Hayner, it was the jock blonde who approached him to begin with when he picked Roxas first when choosing teams for soccer in elementary school. At this point, Roxas discovered that he had the same core friends for at least eight years. Maybe this was fate telling him it was time to change.

Of course, he wished it went about differently. He looked at Axel and saw someone strong, funny, and fully capable of survival in the real world while never having to accept the consequences of being different. Most kids from high school that started bands never made it as far as Axel did. The brilliance of it was that Axel knew this, and success hadn't gone to his head. He didn't worship his audience, but didn't hate them either, and he was smart enough to keep his friends close and his enemies as far away as humanly possible so they didn't cloud his judgment.

When Roxas thought about it, he and the redhead were never on good terms when they met, but Axel kept prying. Now if Roxas were to say something mean it would be like kicking a three-legged puppy. He felt like he definitely didn't deserve someone like Axel's attention. Everything was better when it was just his trifecta of friends, _without_ the punk scamps suddenly walking in on his life.

So the moment found Roxas sitting in a folding chair in the greenroom, the full-length mirror stealing his focus. He was sitting slack in his chair, leaning down so far that he almost fell off. In his reflection, he did not like what he saw. Those boots. Those damn steel-toed boots that Axel had bought for him. They were hideous. Too old, too clunky, too scuffed. For something so obviously wrong, why was it so right? Normally he would never give himself compliments, but he liked the way he looked in the tuxedo. Remembering what he wore earlier, those lame khakis and a blue button-up, the black was a very welcoming change of pace. If it was true that the right clothes had the ability to empower people, then Roxas felt like he could take over the world right now.

He leaned down in his chair and lovingly rubbed his thumb over one of the scuffs on his boot. Where did these shoes belong before they were given to him? It was one of the great mysteries of buying second-hand. Did they belong to a construction worker, and saved him hundreds of times by protecting his feet from falling objects? Most likely they belonged to a bratty high school student who wore them to look cool. Roxas wouldn't blame him. Maybe they belonged to a punk rocker like Axel, who went to a lot of underground shows and got the steel toes dented in some of the most amazing feats of mosh pittery known to man.

Roxas got a spark in his head to do something amazing. He wasn't just going to stand here in the greenroom looking at himself in a mirror. That's _totally_ not punk rock. He stood quickly, straightening his tuxedo jacket, and placed the mask back over his dolled-up eyes.

Outside, Axel was still singing his lungs out. "_Your affable smirk looked so alive in the darkest day no way to survive! I took this deep dive!"_ Roxas opened the door and was sure to shut it. Seifer had disappeared back to wherever he came from, probably back to the catwalk above the stage, and his place was taken by Cid. The bouncer was spending more time watching the show than paying attention to guarding the door. Roxas snuck away and slowly crept closer to the stage.

"_Your eyes were the genuine sky, on these glass wings I try to reach you and fly!"_ The music was a lot louder once Roxas was out of the room. It was the part were the guitar kicked out and there was a brief moment of silence before continuing. That gap was filled with the crowd screaming and jumping, begging for more sweet music. The closer Roxas sneaked to the stage, the more difficult it became. The audience would either accidentally ram into him or purposely block him from getting past. It was getting close to Roxas' favorite part of the song.

"_You gave your whole, I lost control! I had your soul AND YOU HAD MINE, FUCKER!"_ Now it was finally at the part where people would scream. Roxas looked around and tried to find where a pit might be starting, but nobody was doing anything. It was too crowded and cramped and filled with hot sweaty bodies to barely even move.

"Well, this is boring," Roxas mumbled. Before the next verse, he sized up the person standing next to him. He was in costume, dressed in patching green and gray makeup to look like a zombie. About the same body type as Roxas, but perhaps a few inches taller, the blonde thought he could take him. Testing the waters, he nudged against the young man, but he did nothing in response. Quickly, Roxas did it again, this time making the zombie boy trip over his feet and crash into the people standing next to him. He glared at Roxas, biting his lip trying to hide a smirk, but before he got a chance to do anything about it on his own, the people he had landed on forced him off and into the people standing behind Roxas. Some of the crowd started moving away from the ruckus, creating a clearing, and some other people took this as an opportunity.

"_This wasn't meant to last. OH! And when I pinned you to bed, when I gave you head with the screams unsaid, I didn't know- never known- YOU WERE DEAD!"_

It was time to take over the world. Axel's screaming coming from the speakers pumped the blood straight to his brain and caused his vision to become blurred. Out of the corner of his eye he could see someone coming straight towards him. At the first collision, Roxas blacked out.

**oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo**

"That was so cool!"

"Okay, Axel…"

"I cannot believe that you… Holy shit, I didn't know you had it in you!"

"Stop talking, my head hurts."

"You started a _riot_, Rox. That's not something that happens at every show… It's also not something that a G-rated guy like you does." Demyx hopped onto a light post and twirled around it in a very _Singing in the Rain_ fashion. "Is your eye okay?"

Roxas readjusted the ice pack over his right eye and sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Stings like a bitch."

"What's Namine gonna think?" Axel asked, walking next to him with his guitar strapped on his back. Squall had taken all of the amps and stage equipment home in his van with Seifer as his copilot. Marluxia wanted to stay and party with some friends in the audience, and Luxord and Xigbar had a night and wanted to go back to their apartment on the opposite side of town. Roxas sighed and switched hands for his ice pack, shaking the numbness and condensation off his hand.

"I don't know. She'll probably freak when she sees the bruise on my back."

Demyx laughed. "Oh, shit! I can't believe that frat boy stomped you! I didn't know the kids did that anymore!"

"Hey, careful who you're calling kids," Roxas replied. He turned to look at Fuu, who was up until now walking furthest behind everyone and keeping silent. "We're all college students here."

Axel scoffed. "Speak for yourself."

"Well, we all are _or_ were," Roxas corrected himself, glancing over at Axel. "Or should be."

"Hey, hey!" Axel replied. "I don't need college to know how to rock!"

Roxas rolled his eyes and reached into the pocket of his slacks. The time on his cell phone read three-thirty in the morning. "Ugh. Namine's gonna kill me."

The mohawked punk waved his hand in the blonde's face. "Oh! If you want you can totally crash at my place. I think she'd understand."

"I don't know," Roxas mumbled. "She doesn't really like me staying out late, even when I'm with _friends_."

Demyx seemed to catch up on Roxas' subtle tone. He turned to Fuu and pointed a thumb at him. "What do you make of this guy, huh? He doesn't think we're friends."

Axel picked this moment to intervene. "Don't think too much of it," he mumbled. "He's only known us a couple of weeks. We can't all make life partners after just meeting each other." It sounded like Axel was making a gentle jab at someone, but Roxas looked around the people he was walking with and wondered _who_.

'_What are friends for?'_

"No, it's not that," Roxas corrected. "It's just… my fiancée doesn't really like…"

"The piercings?" Demyx asked, bringing attention to the piercing on his lip.

"Hair?" Fuu brought up, pointing to her asymmetrical bleached white bob.

"The tattoos?" Axel snickered, pointing to the diamonds under his eyes and the patterns winding down his arms.

"The music?" Demyx added, playing air guitar while thrashing down the sidewalk and making shredding noises from his mouth.

"Culture?"

"Language?"

"Income?"

"Occupation?"

"Attitude?"

"Enough." Roxas sighed and combed his fingers through his hair. The gel had long since washed out with sweat and now clumped together in coarse tangles. "It's that… you guys are like… She goes for the National Honors varsity type of kids, not the-"

"Art house drug addicts?" Axel finished.

"Which I never touched," Demyx added. Fuu punctuated the sentiment by nodding her head. Roxas glared at the punk groupie.

"You're lying. My friend told me that you'd go over to his house all the time with your sister and smoke weed with his brother."

Demyx frowned. "And who was this?"

"Hayner Marshall. With his brother, Lex Marshall." When it became apparent that Demyx had no idea what he was talking about, Roxas thought this was completely laughable. "Big jock kid from high school? He was the quarterback… C'mon, man, you visited his house!"

"I remember stopping by once because my sister called and wanted me to pick her up," he said, continuing to walk but keeping his gaze towards the stars in thought. "But I never went inside. I hung out with his kid brother Hayner on the front stoop until she had her spin and came outside."

"So you never went inside?"

Demyx grimaced. "I try not to make a point about catching my sister mid-fuck."

Axel gagged and tried not to vomit into the gutter. "Ugh! It's like that one time a couple years back when I walked in on her coming out of the shower. She's like fuckin' no man's land down south. Why would anybody want that?"

"Hey, what my sister chooses to do with her body is up to her… And you say that about every girl," Demyx said flightily.

"Speaking of Larxene," Roxas started, not wanting this thread of conversation to unravel to the point where his chance would be lost forever. "So, who exactly is her kid's father?" When he said this, he made a note to look at Axel.

The redhead returned Roxas' noted gaze with a purposely impartial one. "Um, duh? Marluxia."

Roxas choked on his spit. "You're lying!"

"Brah, what is with you and not trusting us?" Demyx chuckled, sharing a look with Axel. "I mean, I'm _pretty_ sure I know who the dad is."

"But- but he's _gay!"_ Roxas cried.

Demyx laughed full-heartedly. "No he isn't. That's total bull, who told you that?"

"Well didn't he blo-" Fuu chose this moment to cough very loudly and cut Roxas off. Of course, Roxas wasn't supposed to know that little nugget of Marluxia's hidden past that he learned from the zines. Marluxia gave his drumming instructor blowjobs in order to get lessons to get better. He knew that, and Fuu and Demyx knew he knew, but Axel was still unaware he was receiving these zines. Like puzzle pieces to a big secret Axel was hiding. Roxas needed to keep his knowledge hidden for now. The blonde had a feeling that if the redhead found out about all the secret information he was getting, it would make Axel angry with Fuu and Demyx, and Roxas didn't want that. Thankfully, Axel seemed more concerned about Fuu's sudden burst of coughing rather than Roxas' little slip.

"Are you okay?" Axel asked her. He had already given her his jacket so he was walking outside in his sweat-soaked tee shirt from the show in the fall chill. Roxas liked the idea that Axel worried for Fuu like she was a kid sister. This made him think about Fuu's _real_ older brother. Where was Riku right now? Fuu nodded and assured Axel she was fine, giving Roxas a heated glare once Axel had his back turned. "What were you saying about Marly?"

"N-Nothing," Roxas said. "It's just with the way he wanted to stay in drag on stage and everything. Not a lot of straight guys do that, y'know?"

"And not a lot of straight guys wear eyeliner, but look at you," Demyx laughed, pointing at Roxas' eyes. The blonde swatted at the punk's index finger like a mosquito. He lowered the ice pack, which had now become a baggie of cool water. He released the water into a shrub against a nearby building and threw the baggie away.

"There's a _difference_," Roxas assured. "I guess it was wrong of me to make an assumption like that, I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Axel laughed. "Too many people apologize when they've got no reason. It's not a big deal. Marly's a difficult guy to get a read on, and he does it on purpose. He likes making people second guess."

"And I know it's him because the baby looks, like, just like him. They were on-again-off-again for _years_, and about a year ago he was living with her after he broke up with his _last_ girlfriend," Demyx said.

Once again, Roxas reminded himself of Rinoa's insider look at the band. "_And that's Marluxia. He's a sweetheart, really. I know his parents kicked him out of the house as soon as he turned eighteen. He lived with some friends until recently…"_

Roxas didn't understand how people could automatically assume a baby's blood relations just through looks. Their heads were always so squished and their noses so malformed, their skin was patchy and red… And half the time babies are born with blue eyes like that change color when they matured.

"He's a good dad. Took care of Larxene while she was pregnant and all before Demyx moved down," Axel added. "Dude was _made_ to be a dad. It's crazy. You shoulda seen him, Rox. Running around the house with a copy of '_What to Expect'_ and taking Larx on test-drives to the hospital."

Normally when Roxas thought of fathers, it was older men with beards and boring desk jobs, wearing polos and khakis. Absolutely nothing like Marluxia. "Well that blows my mind. Wouldn't have ever pinned Mars as the type…" Axel rolled his eyes before playfully pushing Roxas into a light pole. The blonde grunted and tried not to show pain when his bruised back collided with the lamppost.

Demyx picked up where Axel left off, "He left after I got home, but he still takes the baby during the weekdays while Larxene's at school. She had to take a break because of the pregnancy, but now she really wants to get back in and finish her bachelor's."

"It's good to have goals," Roxas agreed. "So she's in art with Namine? I'd like to see what kind of stuff they do…"

"…You've never seen Namine's art?" Demyx asked.

Roxas shrugged in response. "She never really likes showing me any of her work," he sighed, head lulling. "She said that she worried most about my opinion and didn't want me to see her stuff in case I didn't like it."

"Larxene won't stop talking about it! Apparently Namine's like a pop art _prodigy!_"

Roxas was never invited to so much as a gallery opening or anything. He knew she had to at least have some sort of viewing ceremony for her art attached to the school, if not independent, but since she was so headstrong about not letting him see her work, he never pushed her about it. Although, thinking about the way she decided to dress their apartment with stark white walls, bowls of potpourri, and family portraits, the only art she pinned up on the walls were ones that she bought in markets and galas. He hadn't seen any of her stuff since high school. However, 'pop art' was not how he would describe her. Pop art was Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring, and definitely _not_ Namine Gibson.

The foursome approached the intersection where Roxas' apartment was a few blocks down. "This is me. I'll see y'all later." He turned towards the silent girl in their troupe. "Fuu, where do you live?"

"Nearby."

Demyx pointed further down the road. "She lives near me," he added. "I'll walk you home, Fuu. Is that okay?" She shrugged and readjusted the bag on her shoulder, following the mohawked boy down the street. Roxas started walking down his own road and quickly noticed that Axel was walking with him.

"What gives? Don't you live on, like, the complete opposite side of town?"

Axel grinned and stepped next to the blonde. "I've got all night to get home and I'm wide awake." Roxas rolled his eyes and pretended to be indifferent, but in reality he'd prefer to have someone with him for safety. Not that he never walked back home from campus after dark, but there was something slightly more menacing in the air since it was Halloween night and there were a bunch of raucous drunks still on the streets.

Without the talkative punk around the atmosphere around Roxas and Axel was much more stagnant; not that it was a bad thing, of course. Roxas was enjoying the silent air for the first time in the night. He glanced at Axel from the corner of his eye and just couldn't believe that a few hours ago he was parading around onstage in fishnets with all that gaudy makeup. "You were awesome tonight, by the way," he mentioned, realizing that he never had a chance to compliment anyone after the show.

"Glad I kept the idea a secret, then?" Axel laughed. "I think it was all Luxord's idea. We were chillin' at the Drafthouse one night and caught a midnight showing of it, and there were some people dressed up and everything. He says 'What'd happen if we went on stage and did that?'" Axel laughed. "He never lived it down."

"But really, the crowd loved you. I think Demyx and Fuu sold more albums and shirts since _ever_." They followed the curve of the street where his apartment started coming into view. "Have you guys ever thought about maybe sending your album out to some record companies and see what they think about it?"

Axel leaned his neck back and looked towards the sky. The city lights drowned out any hope for stars, and left it in an ominous and appropriate orange and purple haze. "…We considered it a while ago," he answered. "But we're still sharpening our sound. No self-respecting record producer would be interested in some stupid emocore band. That was _so_ two years ago."

"Passé?"

Axel laughed. "Sure, to put it antediluviantly."

"You can't make an adjective an adverb."

"Yeah you can," Axel replied, turning his attention from the late night sky to the blonde in a tux. "What about smart to smartly?"

Roxas sneered and rolled his eyes. "And what about stupid to stupidly? I'm just saying it wasn't a word."

"You've got a way with words, huh?" Axel said, smirking. "Some day I oughtta challenge you to a word-off. It'll be great. You and I can list off the most amazing words nobody's ever heard of."

"And write a song about it?"

"That's not a shabby idea."

"Where should we start? Reprobate?"

"That's good for Halloween," Axel agreed. It had never occurred to Roxas that _someone_ had to write the songs for 13 Hearts. If it was Axel, perhaps this meant the redhead punk by his side was actually a walking thesaurus. Roxas was wondering what the slick singer would come up with. "Debauchee."

"Oh, you're enjoying this, aren't you?" Roxas laughed as they walked up the driveway to his apartment. "Copulation."

"Does it have to be formal? Heh. Boinking."

"…Bonking."

"Boffing."

"Fornication."

"Coition."

"Um, relations."

"Nooky."

Roxas laughed. "Is that even a word? This is going to be a pretty fucked up song we're gonna write if all of it revolves around sex."

"Do you have any idea how many songs about sex have already been written?" Axel asked, letting Roxas walk up the stairs to the second story as he followed close behind. "Um, a lot. Did you even bother _listening_ to our album or did you just _hear_ it?"

Roxas rolled his eyes once they approached his door. He turned to Axel and looked him straight in his illicitly addicting green eyes. "Ravish." The singer looked like he was given a command that he must follow through, but the blonde looked down and reached into his pocket for his keys. After a moment of patting the front pocket of his slacks, the back pockets, and the ones on his coat, he started to panic. "I can't find my keys."

Axel decided it was best to not pat down the blonde and make sure he had checked every nook and cranny. "Do you think maybe you dropped them?"

Roxas wasn't even sure what he did with his keys after coming back home earlier in the day and leaving them on the counter. "I don't know," he sighed, not really in the mood to retrace his steps. If he did drop them at the Organization he wouldn't be able to check until they opened again tomorrow afternoon.

The young blonde stared at the door as if would lead to a final boss battle. "You don't wanna knock?" Axel asked. Roxas shook his head.

"Namine was really pissed at me this afternoon. I don't want to make matters worse by waking her up this late," he sighed. A moment passed as Roxas glared daggers into the iron numbers nailed onto his door. Even with the nap he took earlier this morning he was getting tired and just wanted to rest. Axel picked up on his predicament in an instant.

"Well, hey, just this once you can stay at my place for the night instead of causing your girl trouble. Do you think she'll get more upset with you if you don't even bother coming home?"

"It's not like I didn't try," Roxas sighed, giving the door one last evil glance before turning to the redhead. "I don't mind if you don't."

Axel gave him a token stage smile. "Of course I don't." He shifted back towards the stairs. "Let's go. No point in staying here if she's asleep." Roxas followed him.

In fact, Namine was sitting on the couch with Kairi, both sharing a blanket while the light from the television flickered on their faces.

"_Hold me."_

"…_I can't."_

"Oh, this part always makes me cry," Kairi admitted, taking a tissue from the box on the coffee table in front of them. Resting on the couch between them was a half-full bowl of fun sized candy bars.

Namine's eyes kept flashing from the screen to the time from the clock on the wall. "How many movies have we watched tonight?" she asked.

Kairi sniffed and leaned forward to move around the DVD cases on the coffee table. "Um, three, I think."

"Six hours. We've been watching six hours of movies, where the hell is Roxas?"

"Why don't you call him?" Kairi suggested. "Clubs close at two. He probably had to stay late to help them pack up. He should be home any moment."

"I don't know if he would even want to come home," Namine said. She buried her face into her knees and covered her ears with her arms. "I was such a bitch to him today!" she cried.

Like a magnet Kairi took the place of the candy bowl next to her sister and wrapped her arms comfortingly around her. "Oh, sweetie, don't be upset. We all get like that sometimes." She paused while soothingly rubbing her heaving sister's back. "…You wouldn't happen to be on the rag, would you?"

"No!" Namine shouted, lifting her face up and fisting her hands into her hair. "I was a complete asshole and I didn't- He wasn't even doing- He was hanging out with that stupid band and I-"

Kairi wished that she could sympathize with Namine, but in truth she never experienced any of the pre-marital feelings her younger sibling seemed to be going through. She had only known Sora for four months before they were married. They hadn't even lived together before they hitched. For them it was true love, a destined love.

"You said he was helping out a band to get them to play the reception?" Kairi asked. Namine was obviously frustrated about the arrangement, and she wondered why.

"Yeah…" the little blonde bit out, trying hard to fight back tears. Kairi was usually one to cry at any given moment, but Namine was stronger than that. "It's this stupid band named 13 Hearts that Tifa recommended to me…"

Kairi stopped rubbing her back. "…13 Hearts?"

"I know, it's a weird name. It's some dumb cover band. I wouldn't mind so much if he didn't spend all his time with that creepy lead singer. He has this huge, ridiculous lip ring and tattoos… Roxas tried to warn me about him but I thought he was overreacting, but now that I've seen the leader…" She hiccuped and tried to keep down another sob. "God, I'm such a freaking_ hypocrite!_"

"I think… I know what band you're talking about," Kairi said, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees. "Is his name Riku? Are they from the harbor?"

Namine had to think for a moment. "I don't know where they're from… But you've met him. Axel?"

"_That's_ Axel?" she muttered. "I guess it makes sense… I never actually _met_ them…"

Namine sat up and leaned forward so she could get a better look into Kairi's eyes. "What?"

Kairi's eyes were watering and threatened to spill at any given moment. She choked back the knot in her throat and coughed softly. "Namine, I'm really sorry. I haven't been _entirely_ honest with you. I think this might be important for you and for Roxas…"

Back on the street just outside the apartment complex, Roxas sneezed into the crook of his arm.

"You aren't getting sick, are you?" Axel asked. "My schedule's getting busy now that the holidays are coming up. I can't afford to be getting sick." In an almost nauseatingly affectionate manner the front man started massaging his throat.

"Whatever," Roxas grumbled, releasing a sigh and noticing that he could see his own breath. "It is getting a little chilly. We'll be seeing more Christmas decorations then, hm?"

"Tell me about it. The Stop n' Go already has a tree set up on the counter," Axel scoffed. "Well, then again, I think it's the same one from last year…"

Roxas and Axel continued walking all the way to the redhead's apartment. The student wouldn't have thought it were possible without the tram system, but most lines stopped running frequently after three. Instead of waiting an hour for the next one, Axel insisted on walking. They were back at his place in a half hour.

"I am exhausted," Axel admitted, shoving his key into the lock and bursting the door open. The first thing Roxas noticed was that the apartment smelled faintly like mothballs. Axel made a beeline to the living room area and cleared off the couch. "Sorry," he sighed, grabbing some half-empty beer bottles from the coffee table and placing them on the kitchen counter. "The guys came over a couple of nights ago… I still haven't had a chance to clean house."

Roxas helped and started picking up wads of paper napkins, but the dried beer made them tear and stick to the table, so he chose to stop. "So… the guys, huh? Like Lux, Marly, and Xigbar?"

"And Demyx and few other friends. Nothing special. I'd ordered a concert on pay-per-view and invited everyone to see it."

Roxas nodded. "Hey, speaking of Demyx," he started slowly. Axel looked up at him to show he was listening. "My brother seems to know him from high school, but how do you know him? It seems like a small world…"

Axel didn't talk much about high school, other than that's where their old singer and Marluxia first met. However, Roxas was certain that they didn't go to the same high school as he and his brother did. The blonde knew he would have remembered them.

Axel paused a moment before answering. "Well, he came to a few of our shows. He would have been a fan, y'know? Which is great and all, but once we got to know him he's become, like, an infallible resource. Check this out." Axel stood and walked over to the wall near the kitchen entrance. There were three photographs hanging on the wall, and Roxas instantly noticed one of them being the original print of the photo of him and Riku together, the same one from Fuu's zine. It was in color and Axel's hair was neon orange. Axel took the one hanging above that print and brought it over to Roxas.

"There he is right there," he said, glossing over a group portrait and pointing to a young Demyx Skönstedt holding up the devil's horn sign. He was standing between Marluxia and Luxord and looking absolutely ecstatic. "He said that, with the exception of a few rough patches, it was the best summer of his life."

Roxas noticed in the group portrait of the band, including a few other people he didn't know, was Riku, their old singer. Now was his chance. "Who's that?" he asked, perhaps too quickly, pointing his finger on the platinum blonde's face.

The redhead looked at the old singer's face, frozen in time with a big grin, and sighed softly. "That's Riku. He's an old friend," Axel admitted. Before Roxas could pester him more at this mysterious young man, Axel continued. "And that's Yuffie, the daughter of the owner of the restaurant we played at a lot. There's Barrett, the chef. He'd always give us free food. And that's…"

Axel's finger ghosted over two faces standing the back, mostly obscured by shadows, that Roxas noticed instantly. Before Axel could continue introducing everyone, the blonde stopped him. "_Whoa._ What're Wakka and Tidus doing there?" He pointed to two idiotic smiling faces in the background. They seemed like they were just a part in the picture as everyone else.

"I didn't really know them that well. They hung out at a couple of our shows that summer," Axel answered broadly.

Roxas' mind was really starting to think like mad. In the farthest reaches of his memory he could recalled the last time Sora hung out with Wakka and Tidus. The idiots had rented out a condo on the harbor for the summer and invited Sora over. "Which summer was this picture taken?" Roxas asked.

"The one before last," Axel said, and Roxas could pick up on the nervous twitter in his voice. The redhead really didn't want him to keep asking questions. Roxas had come to an overwhelming conclusion.

Sora and Demyx had spent a few weeks before Sora's wedding together at the harbor.

Roxas was sure this _meant_ something, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Regardless, Sora acted very odd whenever Demyx was brought into a conversation, and he was pretty sure it had something to do with those weeks spent by the harbor. This also brought up something interesting that he never considered. Sora could have been to a 13 Hearts show before. Now Roxas was beginning to understand why Axel insisted he go to Sora to ask questions instead of through him.

There was a void created from the wheels turning in Roxas' head that made the room dead silent. Axel didn't seem to take note of it, but it made the blonde unsettled to be around such emptiness. "It seems like you had fun," Roxas said, laughing nervously and being purposely vague in hopes Axel wouldn't notice. But it seemed like the redhead was praying for an easy out from the intense situation. He was no doubt probably kicking himself in the groin for ever bringing up that stupid photograph.

Axel placed the picture on the counter for the time being and walked across the den to his bedroom. He entered his room and turned the light on, and Roxas could just make out the sounds of rummaging coming from a closet inside. "I know I have some clean sheets around here somewhere," he sighed. Roxas stood and walked closer to the front man's bedroom door. He pretended to be looking at Axel's impressive guitar collection placed on the racks near the entrance, but kept giving heavy glances towards the inside of his bedroom.

From what he could make out from the cracked door, his bed had black sheets with red pillow cases, which was beyond appropriate. The bed was littered with sheets of paper, and it seemed like there was a spot in the middle, just big enough for Axel to sleep in, like a nest. The paper trail continued to take over much of the floor, it seemed, and it appeared that there were even letters and sheets tacked onto the walls. While the walls in the living room had posters of old horror movies, there were so many music, band, and gig posters pasted onto his bedroom walls it was almost impossible to distinguish the wall color.

Roxas continued to lean back to get a better view. There were stacks upon stacks of CDs encroaching on the corners of the room stacking all the way to the ceiling. Roxas was even amazed at the amount of vinyl he had stored in old milk crates that were buried under papers.

"Here we go!" Axel pulled back the door for a brief instant, giving Roxas hardly any time to pretend like he wasn't trying to sneak a peek into Axel's bedroom. As Roxas had earlier predicted, you can tell a lot about a person by the way they kept their personal space. While Axel's living room was nearly spotless, it seemed like his bedroom was where his life happened. "I knew they had to be in the closet," he said bashfully, walking over to the couch and making quick work out of wrapping the cushions in the faded red bedspread. "Do you want anything to eat? Drink? I can make hot chocolate…"

The redhead seemed almost eager to please, which caught Roxas off guard. He could easily picture Axel being the screaming punk that he was onstage, but behind the scenes, when he didn't have an image to keep up for the public, he was very much a caregiver.

The offer still stood, and Roxas was sure that Axel was still a little chilled after walking so much in the cold night wearing nothing but an undershirt. "ONly if it's got marshmallows," Roxas answered. Axel chuckled with a small affirmative smile and went into the kitchen. While Axel's back was turned to him while he was going through the refrigerator to collect ingredients, Roxas turned his attention back to the guitar collection that he was supposedly admiring earlier. There were two blank racks on the wall, one from the show that Axel had left leaning in its case against the wall by his bedroom door, and the other from the one he was lent.

Feeling bold once more, Roxas took an odd shaped black one from the rack and strapped it over his shoulders. At the sound of his first practice strum, he could see Axel's head perk up and turn around quickly. "Was that a G?" he asked.

Roxas looked down at his finger position and shrugged. "Uh… Yeah, I guess."

Axel stepped away from the counter and leaned against the entryway to the kitchen. "You've been practicing?"

Roxas shrugged. "Not as much as I'd like. I want to get a better hang of this," he admitted. Axel seemed positively giddy as he walked around the couch to the guitar he'd just used for the show and strapped it on.

"I haven't really had a jam session with anybody other than the guys in a while. Wanna try it out?"

"Jam session?" It sounded like something a corny therapist would say to a kid.

"Yeah, we just play music and bounce our jives off each other and see what comes up! I'll get the amps." A quick trip to the coat closet by the front door and their guitars were hooked up. Roxas still unfamiliar with playing a guitar plugged in. He took a couple of practice strums with his g-note and turned to Axel with a nod.

"I'm not going to be that fast," Roxas murmured, unsure of how this would all pan out.

Axel shrugged. "It's cool, Rox. I did jam sessions with Xigbar's students before. If I can handle smarmy middle schoolers I can handle you." He left a pause there and chuckled. "Although sometimes there isn't really much of a difference…"

Dodging the pick that was lobbed at his head, Axel cleared his throat and strummed, tuning when necessary. "Okay. C'mon, play with me." Axel ripped open with an electric guitar version of _Canon in D._ It was the fastest finger moving Roxas had ever seen. And not once did his fingers scratch against the coils of the strings. He was practically molesting the fret board when he stopped suddenly and turned to Roxas. "C'mon, this isn't a free show. You have to contribute."

Roxas' mouth was agape. "B-but I don't even know the _song_." To that Axel just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Not important. Just play with me."

To make Roxas feel better he reopened with the familiar riff from 13 Heart's _Deadly Night Shade_. Roxas had heard that song dozens of times on his mp3 player, and he knew there was a rhythm guitar strumming a constant, achy note in the background. Roxas looked down at his frets and tried to find the correct one. He covered up three of the six strings on his guitar and strummed. It was the wrong note. It didn't sound the same at all. Roxas tried again with a higher pitch, but it still wasn't right. He kept his fingers in the same position and tried as many different tones as possible.

It took him a moment to find the note he was looking for, but once he did he realized Axel wasn't playing anymore. He glanced up and noticed Axel's emerald eyes were staring at him like his hair was on fire. "Um… yeah?"

"Wow, Rox. There's a difference between jamming and cramming. We'll try this, what's a song that _you_ know?" Axel suggested, taking a seat on the armrest of the couch. Roxas followed suit on the chair.

Roxas hadn't practiced enough to know any particular song all the way through. He sighed and strummed a g-note again. Axel plucked the chord around with him. After five minutes, Axel stopped and smiled. "I like the sound of this." He held up his hand, motioning for Roxas to wait. The blonde watched as he walked into his room, snatched one of the sheets of paper off the floor, and came back into the living room. A pen cap nestled between his teeth, he started scribbling notes and words onto blank sheet music paper.

"What're you doing?" Roxas asked, leaning over to see what he was writing. Axel glanced up at him and grinned.

"Jotting some stuff down. The main reason why you do stuff like this," he said, pointing to their guitars, "is so you can bounce ideas off each other and get inspired." He turned to the sheet music and started scribbling down notes across the lines.

"So guitar players actually write down their music like that?" Roxas asked. He had no idea. Axel just shrugged.

"Well, some do, I guess. Xig and Lux don't. It's something I picked up when I first started back in high school." He stopped writing and handed the music to Roxas. "There you go. That's your song."

Roxas looked at the paper, not really able to make heads or tales out of it, but there was still something amazingly special about having a song that was _yours_. "My song… Will you play it for me?"

"Should I add lyrics? Maybe a little coitus or canoodling?"

Roxas laughed but didn't answer. Axel started playing the song on his guitar a bit faster than during their original session. Roxas was stunned that it actually sounded like a viable song. If Marluxia kicked in with a good bass thumping and a jumpy dribble on the snare and toms it would really round out the sound. Luxord could come in with a repetitive harmony on the bass that would be noticeable and catchy when the rhythm guitar wasn't playing. Roxas could picture the rhythm kicking in on the fourth count, and he bobbed his head to the pace Axel had set for the tune before adding his own sound.

Together it would almost sound like a song. Axel took a few liberties with the original melody, but it was amazing. Roxas even went so far as to create a solo for the song. Axel laughed at Roxas' attempt, stating it was a good first try. There came a loud knock at the door, and Axel sighed as he got up from his perch to answer it.

"_It's five in the fucking morning! Some of us are trying to get some bloody sleep 'round here!"_

Roxas leaned back in his chair and tried to look over Axel's shoulder. It appeared to be an angry neighbor who wasn't exactly ecstatic at their jam session. The neighbor looked to be a big man, so Axel agreed to be quiet and tried to calm him down. After the sour person trotted back to his room, the redhead sighed and walked back into the den.

"Well, the fun police stopped by," Axel sighed, scratching the back of his head. Roxas got the hint and turned off his amp. "That was still a pretty sweet song. Do you mind if we use it for something later? I mean, no promises or anything, but…"

"Oh, no! Of course, take it!" Roxas grinned. "You can't keep genius like this tapped down."

Axel's eyes squinted before letting out a soft chuckle, walking up to Roxas and mussing his hair. "You know, you really are okay. The band was worried for a bit, but I told 'em you were cool."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Roxas asked, but not before smacking Axel's hand away. "Okay, I mean. I think I'm pretty okay." He paused and sighed, well aware that Axel's eyes were gouging into the back of his head. "Alright, so I was sort of mean to y'all to start with… I'm sorry."

Axel chuckled and mussed Roxas' hair one last time for the night. "Attaboy." He then stood and stretched, and Roxas clenched his teeth at the grating sound of the redhead's back popping seven times in a row. "Need to shower?"

Roxas remembered that he was still wearing Namine's makeup in a very zombie-like fashion, and he was still wearing the tuxedo costume that felt like it was clinging to his body with what felt like raw sewage. However, he was exhausted, and he was afraid that if he dared to enter the shower then he would fall asleep.

"I think I'm fine," he nodded. "Just point me to the bathroom." He hadn't had a chance to dress his wounds properly since he was given a simple ice pack from the bar at the club.

Axel nodded towards the door against the wall opposite his bedroom door next to the television. The blonde walked inside and looked in a mirror for the first time since he left for the show. "Holy fuck what happened?" He could hear Axel laughing from the den. At some point during the evening, his makeup must have been smeared from the mask he had worn. The black eye shadow was smeared past his eyebrows and down to his cheeks. It spread across the bridge of his nose and made it looked like he was still wearing a mask regardless. He couldn't even tell the difference from his swollen eye to his normal one.

"I think a little shadow's hot," the redhead remarked offhandedly. Roxas pouted and tried to rub the black away, but it remained steadfast. Using toilet paper with warm water wasn't helping either.

"Yeah, a _little. _How do I get this off?"

Axel peeked his head into the bathroom and noticed the blonde's dilemma. "Oh, I got just the thing for that." He left, and Roxas could hear him walk into his bedroom again by the sounds of feet crunching paper. The redhead returned with a small opened tub of petroleum jelly.

"What the fuck is this?" he grimaced. He partly wondered what the young man was doing with the obviously exhausted tub of lube in his bedroom, of all places, but the front man appeared indifferent.

"Just put a little on the toilet paper and rub it over your eyes. Wash the crap off your skin when you're done, though." Trying to hold his stomach, Roxas dipped a single finger into the jelly, not appreciating the cold, gloopy feeling one bit. He wiped the gel over his face and cleared it away with the toilet paper. It came off like a charm.

"Hey, it worked." Delicately, he repeated the process over his swollen eye. He hissed when it stung, but he was able to get the worst of the eyeliner away. He continued rubbing the jelly over his face until most of the black was gone. "I'm not gonna wake up with any mysterious rashes or Chlamydia, am I?" he asked, handing the tub to Axel.

He grimaced, taking the jelly from Roxas carefully. "God, I really hope not." The poor student exceedingly hoped he was joking. While Axel disappeared back into his bedroom, Roxas started to unbutton the black tuxedo shirt he had been wearing all night. He folded his shirt up and placed it on the arm of the couch. While unbuckling the belt around his skinny slacks, he checked behind him to make sure the coast was clear.

Axel was standing in the doorway leaning against the frame. Roxas' could feel his face literally spiking up in heat and turning red against his better judgment. A quick glance to the front man's eyes proved that he was staring off into space towards the carpet rather than the blonde, so the young man force himself to calm down. "W-What's up?" Roxas asked, trying to sound as chill as possible.

Axel snapped out of it and laughed. His eyes seemed to rake up Roxas' back, wincing at the heavy, dark red bruise that was forming between his shoulder blades. "Sorry, I started dozing off there for a second." Roxas could see Axel's eyes briefly make contact with his own before glancing down slightly. The blonde tried to control his heart rate when he noticed the guitarist blush softly and look down towards the carpet again. "Do you need something to sleep in or anything?"

"I'll be fine in my boxers." Roxas kicked himself in the crotch when he saw the redhead's face turn crimson. "But… it's kind of cold outside tonight, so if you have a shirt or something…"

"Oh, yeah, definitely. One second."

As if the heat radiating off of their cheeks alone wasn't enough to power a steam room. Roxas chose to wait before taking his pants off. It would be stupid to go into the bathroom and change after he had already started. Axel would _know_ something was up then. He waited patiently for Axel to come back with an old Iron Maiden tour shirt from the nineties. It was terribly faded and had a hole in the collar, but once he had it on it was the most comfortable cotton shirt he had ever worn.

"This was a staple in high school," Axel laughed. "I had tickets to that show but I caught pneumonia on a camping trip the previous weekend and couldn't go. Sucked balls, but Riku got a shirt for me."

Roxas chuckled. "So Riku's the type of guy who'd go to a concert without you?"

"Fuck yeah, dude! I _forced_ him to go. It's Iron _fucking_ Maiden. It'd be totally gay if he stayed with his sick best friend instead of going to a concert." He laughed and started heading towards his room. "You are so after-school special."

Roxas perked his head, glaring at the older musician. "No I'm not!" he declared. He decided it was time for a change. "I can be totally punk rock!" If Roxas didn't know any better, Axel was making a challenge.

There was a glint in Axel's eyes, something Roxas had never noticed before, as the redhead turned back towards the student and leaned against the doorframe. _"You_ wanna be punk rock?"

Roxas thought about it hesitantly, but the more he did the less sense it made. Ever since being paired up with Axel and his misfit band he was having fun in a way that he had never experienced. Before, his life was centered on going to school and making Namine happy as she planned for the wedding. Now, he felt so rebellious for hanging out with the front man even though he knew that Namine didn't want him to. Earlier tonight he could have easily knocked on the door and she would have answered and gone straight back to bed, but instead he chose to spend the night with Axel. It was _fun_ and he didn't want the night to end.

"Yeah, I guess." It was the next step. The steel-toed boots tied over the skinny rocker-boy slacks with tour shirts were the beginning. He wanted to see to what heights Axel would take him.

"This'll be fun," Axel mumbled, shaking his head.

"Huh?"

The redhead smiled and rolled his eyes. "Nothing, Rox. Have a good sleep." He turned off the lights and slipped away into his bedroom, shutting the door and leaving the blonde by himself for the night. Roxas quickly removed his slacks and crawled onto the couch, wrapping himself up tightly in the sheets the rock star provided. On the coffee table next to him was the sheet of paper Axel had scribbled the song on. He noticed on the top of the page he had jotted down '_Roxas' Song_' in his sloppy handwriting. The blonde punk-in-training hummed the song to himself before drifting off into a heavy, much needed sleep.

**xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**

For this chapter title I was having a difficult time. I wanted a song about change but was having trouble coming up with a decision, and then Scott Walker's "30 Century Man" came on my mix and first two lines of the song really stuck with me. _"See the dwarves and see the giants, which one would you choose to be?"_ And I thought it was an interesting metaphor for Rox so I decided to incorporate it!

So as I'm writing this bonus chapter it occurred to me that I never really wrote down a definite timeline of events in this story. Later on there's some flashbacks that rely heavily on a sequence and I'm worried I might screw something up. The bonus chapter is also getting kind of ridiculously long. I'm probably going to have to split it up into multiple chapters… Did I ever specify how old any of the punks are? If I did I might have to go back and change it…

Special shoutout to Ewonsama for giving me advice to beat Braig in BBS. I hate hate haaaaaaaaate blocking but it did the trick… Since I leveled up so much in Radiant Garden the rest of the game has been pretty much a breeze. Although now I'm stuck on the Eraqus fight, but I get close enough to the end that I know I can beat him if I'm smart enough about it… I also saw Terra's side of the Destiny Island cutscene and just curled up into a little ball and sobbed. It was such an amazing revelation, like- _THAT_ was the reason why Riku was such a dick in the first game. I LOVED IT. I know a lot of people have played these games already but this is my first time and it's been a lot of fun knowing more about this universe I obviously care a lot about…

(And in other, completely unrelated gaming news: I got Tomodachi Life and made miis of Sora, Riku, Roxas, and Axel. Sora and Riku got married last week and had their first baby this morning, a girl named Kairi. I'm gonna make it so Kairi can explore other worlds while the boys stay at home ):D ! And this morning Axel confessed his feelings for Roxas with… a song! It was so sweet! Roxas said "sure!" so they're dating now. I take screenshots of almost everything, so maybe I'll upload them to my imgur and share with y'all someday…)

I'm glad so many people are finding the story again! Like, some people are _really_ excited and I hope the rereading lives up to everyone's expectations… As always, please leave reviews! They really do a lot to keep me motivated during the whole editing/writing process. Follow/favs are great too! I'll see y'all next Monday!


	10. I Can See Your Future

**In this chapter:** Luxord and Xigbar have _The Talk_ with Axel, and Roxas takes one more step towards discovery.

**xxxXXXxxx**

**Ballad**  
><strong>Chapter Ten<strong>  
><strong>"I Can See Your Future<strong>"

**xxxXXXxxx**

A loud pounding at the door made Roxas drift out of his sleep. It was Axel's voice that really woke him up. "IT'S. OPEN." Axel sounded annoyed, as if it wasn't his first time trying to relay the message. Roxas hated being a heavy sleeper. He heard the front door open and decided that he needed to start getting up, but part of him wanted to stay curled up in his nest on the couch forever.

"Yo! What's going on here?" That definitely sounded like Xigbar. Roxas peeked an eye open towards the windows and saw the sunlight glaring in through the blinds. He glanced at the time on Axel's DVR above the television. If it was correct, it was one in the afternoon. Not terrible, but Namine would probably kill him anyway.

"One second, I have to put this on the pan," Axel answered. Almost immediately after he said that, the sleepy blonde heard a sizzling pan go overboard and the most delicious smell in the world escape to the den. _Bacon_.

Roxas remained on the couch, partly wondering how long he could remain hidden without anyone else knowing he was there. He heard Xigbar walking around the kitchen with a low whistle. "Whoa, what's all this, huh? I didn't even know you owned fresh eggs," he laughed. "And _French toast?_" Roxas' mouth was watering. He hadn't eaten since lunchtime yesterday.

"A power breakfast?" another voice asked. It took Roxas a moment to pin it down, but he was convinced it was Luxord. "What's the occasion, Axel?" He could almost feel the smile in the inflection of his tone. Roxas peeked his head around the cushions and looked in the kitchen. Axel, Xigbar, and Luxord stood facing the front of the kitchen. The redhead tried to smack Xigbar's hand away from eating any toast. Roxas could feel his stomach quake by just smelling the delicious breakfast.

He rolled off of the couch silently and wobbled over to the kitchen. Leaning against the entryway, he sighed and yawned loud enough so they would know he was there. "G'morning," he muttered, scratching his back. "Or, well, good afternoon, I guess…" The three rockers all turned and stared. Axel seemed indifferent that Roxas was awake, at least in comparison to the horror-stricken faces of the bassist and lead guitarist.

Xigbar, who had managed to steal a slice of toast, spit what he hadn't swallowed yet onto the floor and fell into a fit of uncontrollable coughing. "Dude!" he wheezed between hacks. "What is he-" Xigbar couldn't finish and started barreling through Axel's cabinets trying to find a clean cup for water.

Luxord reacted calmly, but seemed just as upset. Roxas couldn't understand why. "Axel, please tell us you didn't."

'_Didn't what?_' Roxas wondered, looking to Axel's face for guidance. However, the front man was currently keeping his eyes tattooed to the bacon, and Roxas had a hard time distinguishing his features from the red bangs that were left dangling in his face. Axel gave him a quick glance before turning back towards the stove, and Roxas was able to understand by his look of embarrassment alone.

Roxas had been standing in the kitchen, having just woken up later in the afternoon after a hard night of partying. He was wearing nothing but his boxers and one of Axel's old shirts. Instantly, Roxas felt a need to explain the situation.

"Oh! Axel was walking me home after the show last night," Roxas started. "There's a bunch of freaks on the street on Halloween, y'know?"

Axel turned to Luxord, hoping to contribute. "A-and when we got to his apartment, it was locked."

"Yeah, and I lost my keys. I didn't want to make her even more angry by waking her up…"

"So he agreed to come and spend the night here!"

"Nothing happened," Roxas tacked on quickly at the very end. In a way, he felt guilty. Saying nothing happened after a long night of doing nothing seemed in insinuate that he really wished that _something_ had happened. Their eyes met again before Axel broke the eye lock, turning to the stove to move the sizzling bacon around on the skillet. Roxas sighed and looked to Luxord, who seemed comforted knowing the full story and had decided to turn his attention to Xigbar's retching.

"You know you never told me why for the surprise visit," Axel commented towards his bandmates, sounding more than slightly annoyed. "I didn't make enough food for everyone." He scooped the bacon off the skillet and placed them on a paper towel to soak up grease. In the meantime he took a plate and started layer on toast and eggs. "Rox, d'ya mind pulp in your orange juice?"

Roxas outwardly winced, but Axel had his back turned so he didn't notice. "Nah… no problem." Roxas hated orange juice, but for the sake of thanking the redhead for breakfast he decided to grin and bear it.

"We just wanted to check up on the morning after," Luxord supplied, his partner in crime still not fit enough to speak. Xigbar's eyes were watering and bright red. At first Roxas had thought that the guitarist was just overreacting and joking, but now he supposed he wasn't. "We weren't expecting you to have guests."

"Well, you should've called first. Y'all woke Rox up," Axel mumbled, placing a plate on the counter. Roxas walked to the other side and took a barstool to sit on.

"It's really not a big deal. I should really be heading home anyway," Roxas said between chews of his toast. It was delicious.

Xigbar muttered, "And since when did we need an _invitation_ to come over?" However Axel was too busy cleaning the grease off of the skillet to notice. Taking a few more vicious gulps of water, he determined his voice decent enough to speak again. "So what gives, Axel? I thought you wanted to hang out today."

"I was gonna," the front man replied, giving Roxas a cautionary glance from the corner of his eye. "Stuff came up, right? I'm really tired from last night anyway, and I promised Pete I'd take his shift later since he covered me for yesterday." Instead of sitting down to eat his breakfast, he stood and picked off of the plates of food near his friends. Roxas felt a little lonely eating by himself on the other side of the counter while the boys discussed plans that didn't involve him. It made him feel like he should be leaving quickly, so he tried to hastily finish his food Axel took so long to prepare.

"Well, great. We wasted a trip, then," Xigbar sighed.

"Don't look at it that way," Axel drawled, trying to sound cheekily optimistic. "At least you get to see me." Cue big grin. Roxas rolled his eyes and smirked. "Besides, Rox and I need rides. I need to get to the lot and I'm sure he needs a ride home."

"No way! We're not giving that little squirt a ride, he can walk!"

"Xigbar," Luxord chastised. He turned to the blonde, who had so far been watching the drama from outside the kitchen. "Don't listen to him," Luxord said kindly. "It's my car. I'll take you home."

"_What?"_

Roxas grinned and nodded. "Thanks, dude." He decided to just ignore Xigbar's behavior like everyone else was. It seemed like he was just a righteous asshole to everyone, so of course the 'new guy' would be no exception. Roxas was just thankful he wouldn't have to walk anymore. His feet still hurt from all the long-standing toe-crushing excitement from yesterday.

Axel and Roxas finished their breakfast, and the redhead took the plates to clean. Roxas walked back into the den to try and find the pants that came with the costume. His shirt and jacket were lying next to his steel-toed boots, but the black slacks were nowhere to be found. On a quick trip to his bedroom to change clothes, Axel stopped and noticed Roxas curiously digging through the folds of the couch.

"Looking for something, Rox?" Axel asked.

"I can't find my pants." There was something about saying it out loud that made Roxas blush. The longer he paraded around Axel's apartment in his underwear the more he felt like running away. Axel gave a quick glance around the den and shrugged. "Try the bathroom? But hey, I'll give you some pants to borrow. Lux and Xig are probably going to drop the costumes off today. They wouldn't mind taking yours," he commented, turning towards his friends in the kitchen. "Right, guys?" Luxord nodded.

Before Roxas could insist that he could return the costume himself and he'd be much better off in his tuxedo slacks, Axel had already disappeared into his bedroom. He returned a moment later with a pair of old blue jeans. Roxas took them with a quick and embarrassed "thank you" and slipped them on. The jeans were slightly loose and hung haphazardly around his waist. For the most part they stayed put without a threat of creeping below his hips, but the main problem was how long they were. Roxas sat on the chair and rolled the jeans up, putting his boots on shortly thereafter. He couldn't help but notice how quickly a transformation was taking place. He was already wearing a band tee and tattered blue jeans with old steel-toed boots. It felt so wonderfully pedestrian. He meandered over to the coffee table and picked up his cell phone for the first time since waking up.

Thirteen missed calls.

Roxas sighed and pocketed the cell phone, knowing that no good would come from calling back Namine at this point since he would be home in mere minutes. Axel reappeared from his bedroom in a fresh black tee shirt and skinny blue jeans. The afternoon sun warmed up the town since last night so there was no need for jackets. "Thanks," Roxas muttered, pulling slightly at the hem of his shirt of emphasis. "I'll wash these and return them to you soon."

"Think nothing of it!" Axel said happily, clapping Roxas on the back. He turned to Luxord and Xigbar who were eating off the scraps leftover from their breakfast. "Ready to hit the road?"

Roxas sat behind Luxord who was driving an old, dented white Thunderbird. The car still had its original stereo, which included a tape deck, a radio, and nothing else. There was something comedic about Luxord and Xigbar fighting over which cassette tape to listen to. The sound quality was terrible, and the gaps between songs were sometimes ridiculous. If he listened close enough, he could make out one of them talking in the background of the tape while they were assembling these mixes. Most of the music was stuff he had never heard before.

"I like this," Roxas commented, garnering the attention of the two men up front. "Who are they?"

"Los Campesinos," Luxord answered, with a small smile gracing his lips. "You have good taste in music, Roxas. Too bad we can't say the same about your taste in dancing." Roxas had been tossed around like a rag doll last night. He could still feel the bruise on his back and he was sure his eye was a mess.

"Namine's talked about taking lessons," Roxas sighed. "For the wedding. She likes to go out dancing with her friends, but I don't really see the point if you can't drink. I'll be turning twenty-one soon, though."

"Oh, really?" Luxord asked, making eye contact with him through the rearview mirror. "When's your birthday?"

"November fourteenth."

The bassist started strumming his fingers on the steering wheel while he was thinking. "The fourteenth… We have a show that night, don't we?" he asked towards Xigbar. The snarky black haired man shrugged and made a noncommittal grunt. "Yeah, we have a show," Luxord confirmed. "Are you going to come see us?"

Roxas shrugged. Between the open hostility Marluxia and Xigbar sometimes showed, it was nice for another member of the band to be a little civil. "Only if you'll have me."

"Geez, don't be that way Roxas. I enjoy your company." Luxord really seemed like a nice guy. Roxas concluded that even though he seemed rather pensive onstage and when he kept quiet, he was actually very friendly, if not perhaps slightly introverted at the same time.

For the entire ride thus far, Axel had been sitting in the back seat next to Roxas, keeping very silent. His head was leaning against the window and he looked like he was about to fall asleep. Perhaps he didn't get enough sleep earlier.

"Are you okay?" Roxas asked in a hushed whispered. He didn't want to worry Luxord or Xigbar if their lead singer did get ill. The redhead glanced towards Roxas, smirking and reaching over to muss his hair. Since the car was so small Roxas couldn't escape when his giant hand came over his head and ran through his blonde hair.

"I told yah you'd make me sick," he said, but too quietly for the others to hear over the radio. When it became apparent that Axel wasn't going to remove his hand anytime soon, Roxas reached up to try and tug it away. It was a half-hearted attempt, and the blonde realized that once his palms touched the back of Axel's hand and his fingers slowly rubbed up against the rough calluses that came from years of guitar playing, that he didn't really want to let go. Roxas' eyes widened slightly when Axel's hand slowly traipsed away from Roxas' hair and started skimming the pale skin of his cheek. His rough thumb gently grazed over the growing bruise from his black eye.

Roxas was terrified at what the front man must be feeling. The blonde's cheeks flared and there was no way that Axel's palm wasn't suffering from burns by now. What was he _thinking?_ However the more Roxas thought about it, he had to reverse the question. What was _he_ thinking?

"Roxas… I-"

"-Need to know where you live."

Instantly Axel's hand zipped back to his side of the car and the redhead continued with a disconcerted stare out the window. While a steady blush was still keeping his face warm, Roxas couldn't help but notice that without the hand there it seemed cold. He turned to Luxord and noticed his steady gaze from the rearview mirror. Had he seen everything? "Oh! Uh, turn left here," Roxas stated, motioning towards the intersection the car was idling in.

The car slowed in front of his apartment complex. Xigbar pressed up against the window and whistled. "Wow, nice digs. What's the rent on a place like this?"

"About twenty-four hundred," Roxas sighed, willing to make a jump while the car was still moving just to avoid Luxord. Xigbar balked at the price, complaining that it wasn't worth it. It probably wasn't, but it was close to campus and Roxas and Namine had their parents to help them out.

The car finally slowed to a stop long enough for Roxas to duck out. He turned before shutting the door and turned to Luxord. "Thanks for the ride," he said with a genuine smile. He turned to Axel, where his grin faltered. "And thank you for… everything." It came out all wrong, and he was sure his voice cracked like a little teenager. Before his face could possibly look any more humiliated, he quickly slammed the door and walked away praying that Luxord hadn't seen anything, and that maybe the mirror was at an angle where it didn't seem like Axel's hand was totally rubbing against his cheek.

But judging from the sounds of Luxord and Xigbar screaming at Axel as they drove away, it wasn't the case. Roxas clenched his eyes shut and placed his hand softly over the same cheek Axel had, rubbing it in a zen motion before having to meet with Namine. He gave one last glance at the white Thunderbird as it turned the corner and out of sight, wishing Axel the best.

"WHAT. WAS. THAT." Luxord was shouting, and it definitely wasn't posed as a question. Axel flinched from the backseat and continued to focus his gaze out the window.

"That was none of your damn business," he replied bluntly, hoping and praying that the issue would be dropped.

"What the fuck are you thinking, dude? You _can't_ do that shit! He's getting _married!"_ Xigbar added, with an emphasis on marriage.

"So? It's not like it's ever stopped any of us before," Axel stated. It wasn't argumentative, but rather blasé acknowledgement.

"Dude, _fuck_ that! I thought you didn't even go for charity cases," Xigbar growled. Luxord took his eyes off the road to glance back at his lovesick guitarist.

"We can't do this, Axel," he sighed. "We were supportive before, but knowing the full consequence I can't condone any of this. I can't tell you to just stop, but…" Luxord trailed off and nervously tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.

Xigbar picked up the conversation for him. "Oh _HELL_ naw! I'll tell him for you- _STOP. _He's getting _married!"_ Xigbar repeated. "He's straight! He's a fucking whiney prick!"

"_Hey,"_ Axel raised his voice in a warning. "Quit being such a fucking dick, Xig. It was _nothing_. Okay? Just drop it."

"Nooo no, no," Luxord drawled, waving a finger in the air. "Not this time. Not after what happened last time. I am _not_ picking everything up _again_ for this stupid band. I'm going to move back to Vegas if you keep this shit up. And I'm serious this time." Of course he was. Luxord always made these threats, but 13 Hearts was his only decent support in this world and Axel knew that he would never just leave.

"You must think you're pretty fucking special thinking you could get away with that in the backseat," Xigbar scoffed. "So tell me, honestly, how far did y'all get last night? Is he a screamer? I bet he's a screamer."

Axel lunged at Xigbar in the seat in front of him and wrapped his arm around his neck. He didn't pull back enough to choke him, but just the right amount for Xigbar to know his place. "You'd better shut up right now, asshole!"

"WHOA! Axel!" Luxord shouted, thankful that they were approaching a stop sign. He screeched to a halt and started smacking Axel's arm off of Xigbar's neck. Axel finally let go, but Xigbar reached immediately for his seat belt and recliner lever, unbuckling himself and forcing the seat back so Axel was trapped.

"You little sunova-" He reached out and gripped Axel's shoulder harshly, wanting _so much_ to just punch the pretty boy in the mouth. However, in a rare moment of clarity, he calmed down. The guitarist knew from personal experience that punching anybody wouldn't solve anything, so he loosened his grip around Axel's collar. "You do realize what you're getting yourself into, right?" he asked, looking into Axel's eyes and forcing him to return the favor.

Without wavering, Axel replied. "Yes."

"And you do realize who he'll choose in the end, right?" he pushed, making sure his acid umber eyes never strayed from bitter green.

Axel broke the heavy contact by glancing down. "…Yes."

Xigbar leaned back in his seat and sighed, combing his hands through his long black hair. "And you realize what you're, like, doing to _us_, right? This is like watching a train charging down a dead end."

Axel returned his eyes to Xigbar's. "I know. I'm really sorry, but…"

"We know," Luxord sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We can't choose these things, but we wish you'd be a little more…"

"Smart," Xigbar completed.

"Yes, smart," Luxord agreed with a nod. "And just so we're all clear on this, I'm going to tell Marluxia what's going on."

"Hey," Axel stated with a hint of nervous tension. "He doesn't need to know, okay? He's already sketchy around Roxas enough as it is. I don't want to make things worse."

"It's a little late to be making things worse," Xigbar deadpanned.

"And Marluxia has every right to know what's going on. This is a very big deal, Axel. I'm going to give you a list of basic rules to follow, even though you probably won't listen to me anyway." Axel rolled his eyes once Xigbar finally pulled up his seat. Once he was sitting back down and buckled, Luxord continued to drive. "Number one, don't invite him to your house anymore. Number two, don't invite him to our shows anymore."

"But he's-"

"He can come of his own volition if he chooses, but he needs to know where he stands in this arrangement. In the big picture, he is the commissioner and we are the laborers. It's good to make nice with the people hiring us, but this just ridiculous."

"But he's supposed to be our roadie while Seifer's away," Axel explained, but this just made Luxord more livid.

"Like in last night's show where you passed down the specific rule to 'have fun?' I should've fekking known that this was happening! He's not doing anything that Squall couldn't handle on his own, and you _know_ Seifer would come up to Bastion to help us with a show if we really needed him." Luxord sighed and held up a third finger. "Number three, don't even speak to him anymore."

When Axel seemed like he was about to argue, Luxord cut him off. "This is serious. If you know the consequences and if you really cared about your life right now you'd stop this schoolboy foolishness right now and turn your dedication back to where it belongs. We can still play Roxas' _wedding_," Luxord stated with a sour emphasis on the word, "but that doesn't require you having to see him everyday. This wedding is just as much of a professional performance like any of our other shows, and I expect you to be in top condition when the bride and groom share their first dance. Got it?"

Axel didn't answer.

**oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo**

Roxas stood in front of his apartment door, hand poised steady over the spotless, white slab of wood. He couldn't believe he was afraid of knocking on his own door. His keys were still, he prayed, tucked safely into a lost and found bin at the Organization, and he was sure that the door was locked.

Sucking in a breath and making one last ditch grab at his dignity, Roxas knocked. Almost sooner than he would have liked, the door flew open and caused a sucking wind to threaten to draw him in. Namine stood in front of him, eyes wide and red. "Roxas!" she cried, about to lunge forth to hug him. Roxas opened his arms to her, but as she was about to fall into his arms and get lost into his eyes, she held up her hands and stopped herself from getting too close.

"What happened to your eye?" she asked, the worried and sleepless tone in her voice more than evident. Her bloodshot eyes traveled down to the shirt that her hands currently rested on. She withdrew as if it were contaminated. "And where did you get that shirt, and… those pants?" She eyed the holes in the thighs warily. "And those… shoes?"

Regardless of this greeting, Roxas wrapped his arms around Namine and forced her into a tight embrace. It felt comforting to hold her again. This wasn't nearly as confusing as the last twelve hours of his life had been. "Hi Namine. I lost my keys."

Without any further questions, Namine quickly ushered her fiancé inside and closed the door. She placed him on their white couch, but not before laying a blanket down over where he was to sit. Quickly and quietly she rushed into the kitchen and put a kettle on for tea. Namine nervously returned to the living room and sat on the opposite end of the couch. "Roxas…" she said sternly, "where were you last night?"

"I told you," he explained. "I had to help Axel out with the show. We just got out really late, we were tired, and Axel lived nearby and offered me to crash at his place for the night when we realized I lost my keys somewhere." He decided to leave out the little indiscretion that he had pondered outside his apartment at two-thirty in the morning debating whether or not he should knock.

"Is that his real name?" she asked quickly, catching Roxas off guard.

"I- uh… I don't know. I never bothered asking," he replied with a wavering smile. He always assumed without anyone needing to tell him that 'Axel Rose' wasn't his real name. She gave him a harshly accusing stare, which only fueled him to be more skittish. "Why? Did you run a background check or something?"

"Not exactly," she replied. Her answer was just a little too quick for his liking.

"Namine, what's going on?"

Her eyes widened as the kettle whistled loudly in the background. "Do you really need to ask?" she replied crossly, getting up to take the pot off the stove. While she puttered around the kitchen finding a tray and cups, she continued speaking loudly so Roxas would hear. "First you just leave before I even get back." Roxas was a little put off by this, but she was speaking to quickly to intervene. He had to leave for the show he was obligated to be at, he didn't have time to wait up for her. "You use my _makeup_!" He winced at this. He was in such a hurry, he wasn't sure if he put her eyeliner and shadow away. He cursed inwardly. "You stay out all night and don't bother calling me _once_. You don't come back until…" There was a slight pause while Roxas assumed she was checking the time on the microwave. "Two in afternoon! And on top of that you've been beaten up!"

She returned with a tray of clattering cups, each with its own tea strainer resting inside. "Did Axel do this to you?" she asked, honestly concerned.

"Do what?"

"That!" she said, pointing to his eye. "Did he beat you?"

Roxas paled at the idea. "No!" Axel had been nothing but kind to him, but Namine obviously had a different first impression. "What on earth gave you that idea?"

"Well, it's just…" She paused, taking a moment to think, and folded her hands politely in her lap. Roxas didn't like where this was going at all. "I'm not saying Axel's a bad person," she said finally, although through the tone in her voice Roxas found it obvious she was being extremely generous in this assessment. "However, I think the people he hangs out with might be a bad influence on him, and in return he may be becoming a bad influence on you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Roxas asked, taking the offensive.

"It's just this, Roxas," Namine cried, holding her hand out as if to display Roxas' body. "You're gone all the time on weekends suddenly. Between our school schedules we hardly get any time to see each other anymore. I thought I would have been able to handle the planning of the wedding better with you keeping busy, but I don't think I can sit idly by and watch this happen." It seemed like she was about to cry, and Roxas broke. He couldn't stand seeing her this way. Her cheeks started to redden and her lips began to pull back and tighten around her teeth. Her eyes squinted as she looked away when the first tear fell. "You start coming home late, then you start coming home even later with black eyes and bruises, dressed like one of them. You won't ever return my calls…" She hiccupped and started all-out sobbing. "I don't even know who you are anymore!"

"Namine…" Roxas stated, trying to gather his words. It was so hard to talk with her curled up like this. Her head was hanging down so he couldn't see her face, and her arms were wrapped around the opposite elbows as she appeared in a sort of fetal position. "I haven't changed. I'm still the same Roxas…" He wished he could get to her, but the visual aspect was too overwhelming. He sighed as he pulled off Axel's Iron Maiden tee shirt. Quickly, he disposed of the boots as well and knelt down in front of her. Softly placing his fingers under her chin, he brought her face up so he could get a good look at her. "Namine, it's just me. There's nothing to be afraid of." He gave her a dazzling smile. "How long have you been worrying about this?"

Apparently, a very long time. Namine fell from her curled position on the chair and into Roxas' arms, allowing herself to be held. After minutes, which seemed like centuries, of the blonde woman crying in his arms, she finally took initiative and returned the embrace. As soon as her hands touched Roxas' back, just under his shoulder blades, he released a small hiss that caused her eyes to flash open. "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice still shaking from crying, although she seemed to be getting over it. Roxas didn't want to worry her more about his petty injuries and continued to smile.

"Everything's fine," he cooed, bringing her back. She rested her head on his shoulder and noticed the scathing purple bruise coming from Roxas' back.

"Oh, my gosh!" she cried, covering her mouth. "I didn't realize you were this hurt! Oh, baby, where did this come from?" Roxas was relieved that she seemed to skip her angry mode and went straight on into mother hen. Honestly, the blonde wasn't sure where this particular battle scar came from. He figured it was sometime after he blacked out. It was his best guess that after he collapsed to the floor someone had stepped on him before he was pulled to safety. Inciting a riot was harder than it looked.

"You should go lay down and rest," Namine insisted, standing up off the floor and taking Roxas' hand with her. He stood up and used his free arm to nervously scratch the back of his head.

"That's not necessary," he claimed. "I mean, I just woke up not too long ago, and I rushed straight back here to be with you."

Namine appeared to take the confession to heart and she smiled softly. "I'm glad you were able to get a good rest at Axel's," she replied, trying to make it clear that she was happy that her fiancé was in good health after a night of excitement, but if anything a bit bitter about his choice of going to the band member's house instead of returning home. "But unlike you, I didn't get any sleep last night. Will you at least lay with me?"

How could he say no? He followed her into the bedroom, understanding that for how much Namine wanted to make Roxas comfortable with his scrapes in bruises, her sleep was more important at the time. After she was tucked into her side, he kissed her on the forehead and pulled away.

"Where are you going?" she said softly with a hint of worry.

"The shower. I feel gross," he answered, still hammering an innocent smile into the conversation. Namine reached out and rubbed her hand on Roxas' cheek, slowly letting the soft pad of her thumb stroke the outer edges of the black eye. Without either of them saying another word, Roxas withdrew and left the bathroom door open a crack before turning the water on.

A shower felt heavenly, Roxas agreed. All of last night's sweat and dirt was washed away and all the crusty dried gel was removed from his hair. It was a complete cleansing, involving more soap, more body wash, and more pro-strength hair conditioner than he had ever used before. Once he stepped out of the shower, he moved to the counter and wiped his hand across the foggy mirror to get a better look at his face.

This was his first time since last night seeing his reflection. His hair, which he usually preferred to keep relatively short, was pulled down in front of his face from the water. He pulled all of the bangs to one side so that it covered half of his face, wondering if he looked like some of those kids he usually ran into at the club. The style seemed to work, especially with someone with such a straight and serious face as Roxas, but he knew that Namine liked his hair kept short and manageable, so he made a mental note to call a salon later. He leaned forward and inspected his eye, glad to see that nothing damaging seemed to have happened to his actual eyeball, and the skin around it had lightened up a few shades and stopped swelling. The bruise on his back still stung like a bitch, but Roxas saw this as his metaphorical cross to bear.

After blowing his mop of blonde hair dry, he wrapped a towel around his waist and ventured back out into the bedroom. With the lights out the blinds to the windows closed, it seemed darker and later in the afternoon that it really was. Namine was lying in the bed, still in almost the same position he had left her. Figuring she was asleep, he crept to the other side of the room where his clothes were and slipped on a pair of clean boxers. He half expected Namine to wake up and tell him to hang his towel up properly as he flung it over his closet door.

Lying in a bed and being clean for the first time in what felt like ages made Roxas feel more tired than he thought he should. He rolled closer to Namine and was surprised when she turned around and snuggled closer to him. "Roxas," she muttered, more than half asleep. "What's Axel like?"

The question was proving to be difficult to answer as Roxas paused to think about it for a moment. "He's… a little wild, but easy to keep up with. A _lot_ smarter than he looks and quick on his feet. He's just a friendly, popular guy."

"What about Riku?" she mumbled. Roxas froze, and prayed that she didn't feel his body stiffing up.

"Um," he drawled out. "I'm not so sure yet." Namine had a very valuable resource to Roxas in her partnership with Tifa. Axel could have explained some things about Riku to his cousin, who could have then dropped some hints to Namine.

"Kairi told me some things… He's a manipulative person, and I don't really want you hanging around friends of his, y'know?" Roxas understood that 'friends of Riku' meant Axel, but did he really want to cut off all relations just because she said so? Namine rested for a moment, but then he noticed her eyes pop open and she glanced up at him. "Don't you know about him?"

He didn't have to answer. The blank look in his eyes did all the talking. Her pretty blueberry eyes widened and she covered her mouth. "I figured it was some sort of family secret, but… Oh, Roxas, forget I said anything!"

The man didn't know how to respond. "Forget…?" His inner voice was telling him to stay calm and not get angry. Namine knew something and was holding out. The important thing was that she _knew_, and she wasn't stupid enough to keep a secret this huge forever. "It's okay, Namine," he insisted, kissing her softly on the forehead. "Go to sleep." His fiancée glanced up at him, thankful for him seemingly lifting this huge stone of guilt from her shoulders. In minutes she was out cold.

After a half hour of lying next to her, her breathing started to slow down and regulate and her body lost all tension. He slowly backed away from her and crawled off the bed. Slipping into the kitchen, Roxas leaned against the counter and rubbed his head. This was _crazy_, and the worst part was that he didn't know whom he could talk to about this. He was still wary about going to his brother after how awkward he got when he talked about Demyx. Kairi, although she was the source of this information, couldn't be trusted because she would relay Namine and Sora anything that he would ask. Briefly, he considered calling his parents and seeing just how deep this 'family secret' burrowed, but quickly decided against it.

He opened the refrigerator, really craving a simple bowl of cereal at the moment, only to discover there was no milk. Sighing, he crept back into the bedroom and put on a pair of khaki slacks and a deep green collared shirt. While Namine was sleeping, he hid Axel's clothes and the boots in the back of his closet behind that old skull study print that Namine wouldn't let him hang up.

This time, he wrote a note to Namine stating the specific reason why he wasn't there when she woke up. So she wouldn't panic as soon as she realized Roxas wasn't in bed with her, he placed the note on his pillow so she'd hopefully see it first thing if she happened to wake up while he was out. He slipped on his jacket from the coat closet and borrowed Namine's keys to lock himself out.

The closest convenience store was four blocks down the street, closer to campus. Roxas stuck his hands in his pockets and started the journey. The closer he got to campus, the more worried he was about how deserted the streets were. Granted, it was a Sunday afternoon and it was the day after Halloween (and there were, most likely, midterms the following Monday).

He waltzed into the nearest store and grabbed a basket by the front entrance. It had been too long since the last time he and Namine went food shopping, so he decided to pick up all the items they needed until they found the time to go to a big chain grocery store. After standing in front of the meager bread selection, he finally found a loaf with a decent expiration date and moved on. They were having a half-off sale on the shampoo Namine used. They had bulk family sized boxes of the biscuits she ate all the time with her tea. He slowly made his way to the refrigerated section and took some frozen TV dinners on his trip to the milk. After obtaining the jewel of this adventure, he turned to head back to the checkout lines, but stopped short at the candy section. Namine did love her Baby Ruth's. Maybe one would count as a peace offering after what happened last night. Better yet, maybe two. As he turned to head to the front of the store, he noticed a familiar figure standing with her back towards him, looking at the candy on the other side of the aisle. Even though he couldn't see her face, she was wearing an unmistakable purple and black striped hoodie and skinny black jeans.

"…Fuu?"

The girl gave a visible tremor in surprise as she turned around quickly. Her single visible eye looked furious before she realized it was Roxas and calmed down. The man wondered if she always treated people who call out her name that way. "What are you doing here? Do you live nearby?"

"Dorm," she said nervously, taking a bag of chocolate covered pretzels from the rack. Roxas, not wanting to snoop, gave just a quick glance at her basket. Along with the sweet pretzels, there were chocolate granola bars, Jolly Ranchers, and a blue book.

"I guess you're studying?" he asked with a small smile.

"History," she sighed, brushing past Roxas to head to the office supplies aisle. Roxas hated the class and realized he probably had some studying to do himself. He followed her as she grabbed a package of mechanical pencils and a tub of eraser toppers. "Boring."

"I'll bet. I'm taking a world history class right now. I already had my midterm, though." He paused while picking up some pens for himself. "So did you have fun last night?"

She looked up at him with her eye and he saw a sliver of a smirk. "Yes." She reached out and poked the black shadow under his black eye. Even though it wasn't nearly as painful as last night, it still stung faintly. "You?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah. I had a blast," Roxas replied very mellow. "I ended up staying with Axel for the night because I lost the keys to my apartment. I didn't get back home until two." He laughed nervously and pretended to read the print on the back of the package of pens, missing Fuu's critical gaze. She studied his face that millisecond as it changed from cherry nostalgia to something a little more melancholy. "Fuu… your brother…" The girl frowned and started heading towards the checkout herself. "I-I'm sorry," he stammered, "but Namine brought him up and she sounded distraught. You've been giving me these zines for a reason. I'm supposed to be finding out something about Riku, right?"

She turned to him as she found out there was a line and sighed. "Not me. Sora."

Roxas let out an annoyed grunt and turned his eyes to the ceiling. "I don't want to talk to him about this. If he wanted to talk about it he would have told me by now. He told Kairi and everything, but I can accept that because she's his wife." He paused and tried to rewind to what he had previously thought. "Wait… So… this is something between Sora and Riku?"

Fuu's expression turned dark and she turned back around to the counter as the next available cashier called her up. Obviously avoiding him as she emptied her basket to the woman in front of her, Roxas glared and waited at his point in line. Fuu was such a tight-lipped young lady that he was sure that he wouldn't get any more information from her. The idea made him infinitely frustrated, but he tried not to show this outwardly. Fuu was an invaluable source, and he was starting to pick up that she knew this. It felt like he was being extorted. After she finished her transaction she turned around towards Roxas, plastic bag held tightly in a fist in her right hand. She dug into the pocket of her hoodie and pulled out a crumbled zine.

Roxas held up his hand and stopped her from coming closer. "You know what? No. I don't need your little newspaper, okay? I was just fine with my life before I started reading into 13 Hearts," he stated angrily. "If Sora has anything he wants to tell me, he'll say it. So you can just keep these to yourself from now on."

He waved a hand dismissively at her, but she grabbed his wrist and forced his fingers to spread with one hand. Roxas was surprised at how overpowering her grip was. Without a grunt or a sign of strain, she overpowered Roxas and shoved the small zine into his hand. She turned quickly and rushed to the automatic doors at the front. "Jerk!" she shouted angrily, loud enough for the whole store to hear. Roxas crumbled the rag up in his hand and shoved it in his jacket pocket. He realized that most of the cashiers and people waiting in line were staring at him like he was some sort of heartless bastard. Glaring at each and every one of them, he walked up to the counter and emptied his basket. His cashier didn't speak to him except for telling him his total, after which he swiped his card and grabbed the receipt before anything else could be silently accused. By the time he got out to the street, Fuu was out of sight.

He considered waiting for the tram, but he remembered the one that drove down his street was on Axel's usual route and decided against the risk. Walking was better for him, anyway. It took more time for him to sort his thoughts out. By the time he got home, he was still incensed. Luckily, Namine was still asleep, and the sight of her resting peacefully in bed had a calming effect on his nerves. It made him try to be extra quiet and a little more patient. He softly placed everything away, pouring himself a bowl of cereal. There was something so satisfying about eating pure sugar on a Sunday afternoon with nothing better to do.

When he was finished he dared to venture back into the bedroom where Namine continued to catch up on all the sleep she missed last night. Television sounded boring, Hayner was probably studying, and if he wanted to hang out with Sora, Roxas would want to talk about Demyx and Destiny Harbor. It was too soon after he had dedicated himself to no more questions, but he was so curious… and so _bored._

Even if Axel was supposedly a bad influence, he was a little more fun that watching people sleep. Roxas sighed and looked towards the guitar lying in the corner. Figuring now was as good of a time as any, he unplugged it and brought it into the living room, shutting the bedroom door as silently as possible. He strummed one of the power chords that Axel had taught him, and then plucked particular notes. Jamming was a lot more fun when there was something else playing with him. He tried to remember the song that they had written last night, but came up fruitless.

It started with a b-note, he recalled, as he meandered around the living room strumming the note repeatedly. "Bee, beeee," he sounded out, taking a moment to tune one of the strings. "Bee."

Three hours later, Roxas felt like he was going to die in his own apartment. Death by boredom. After he noticed his fingers were starting to bleed, which was gross, he decided to cure his boredom by getting his reading assignment for literature class out of the way. Now there was nothing left to do, idly flipping through the channels on the television. Namine would castrate him if he left the house, but staying inside and watching her sleep was only so amusing. He couldn't remember in recent memory ever being bored in this apartment, but he also never remembered staying up until four in the morning and ruining any sort of a sleep system he had.

Just being with that psychotic redheaded punk was so beyond the routine that it was almost desirable. There a slightly longer pause as Roxas thought for a moment, finger poised over the button on the remote. _Well, fuck._

**xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**

Alright! So, we're heading towards some pretty pivotal moments! I'm excited for you guys to read it. The focus on the story is (obviously) on Roxas, so there isn't a lot of story that develops when Roxas isn't around, but Luxord's talk with Axel is one of my favorites. Each character sort of has their little quirks. Marluxia is tight-lipped when you'd think he wouldn't be, Luxord is two-faced and acts nice to people if he feels like he can use them later, and Xigbar is hot-headed and often goes out of his way to make others hurt (which often doubles as a sign that he's really close to someone, in a "it's only okay if I do it" sort of way.)

And in Birth By Sleep news, totally stuck on Terranort. Seriously, fuck that guy. I read a tutorial that said that it's another blocking-heavy battle, which is the woooooorst. I still haven't gone through and 100% all the worlds and gotten all the finishing moves, so I guess I should do that. Does anybody have a good recommendation for a good, easy-to-use manual for melding attacks and how to get certain abilities? I've seen a couple online but they're all really clunky and hard to follow (it probably doesn't help that I'm looking them up from my phone…) Did anybody buy the strat guide? Is it worth it?

So I was supposed to go on a big trip to Italy this year but it was canceled, which sucks, but now I have all this money that I was going to spend there to burn, and I've been burning it on Kingdom Hearts merch out the fucking loop. I bought the 7-disc OST series, a KH:3D Riku playarts toy, just bought the Mark of Mastery edition of 3D too. I'm POOR NOW. UGH. (Originally I'd bought the game used from Game Stop, but it didn't come with the case. I asked my friend if I could borrow her copy so I could scan the cover art and make a printout of it to stick into the case Game Stop gave me. My boss was like "You should check out eBay and see if someone's selling just the case. Stuff like that pops up every once in a while." So I go to eBay and found someone selling a sealed copy of the Mark of Mastery edition for like 80$ less than the cheapest seller on Amazon… so, y'know, treat yo self.)

ALSO! I MADE A TUMBLR! It's a baby tumblr. Not much on it yet (like three posts as of rightnow). Username is skinnedkneedmisfit because I gotta stay on-brand. There's a link in my profile! I like to draw fanart too, so go there if you wanna see some Ballad-theme or general KH fanart! (unfortunately it's a secondary account so I can't fav anything from that account, only reblog. I'm using the tag "#kh ballad" for anything related to the story and… if any of you guys… make a post or something… about Ballad… _feelfreetousethattagtoo!_).

AND AS ALWAYS - I cherish your reviews so, so much. I'm so glad more people are finding their way back to this story and the more reviews I get of people being so psyched that it's back the worse I feel about deleting it in the first play. Thanks so much for putting up with me, and please continue to show your support by reviewing and follow/faving!


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